Natural Global Disasters By The Numbers

In 1984, there were fewer than 275 natural weather-related events.
In 1994, the number more than doubled to almost 600 natural weather-related events.
In 2014, we saw a slight decrease from the previous decade, though there were still in excess of 500 natural weather-related events.
In 2014, we saw a massive jump to nearly 1,000 natural weather-related events.

Catastrophic Weather Hits Canada Hard

In 2015, a total of 423cm of snow fell on Saint John, New Brunswick; beating the 1962 record by 4cm. That equates to 33,000 truckloads of snow.
In 2013, flooding 30 Southern Alberta communities forced 100,000 people from their homes to the tune of $6 billion in damages.
In 2014, lower-than-normal rainfall contributed to the worst fire season in 30 years in the Northwest Territories – 3.4 million hectares burned and $55 million dollars were spent fighting the fires.
In 1998, Quebec and Eastern Ontario endured a six-day ice storm that deposited 80mm of freezing rain, stranding millions without power and leading to $1.6 Billion in insurable losses.

Year-over-year weather-related claims have increased by 32%.
Canadian Insurers paid out $3.2 billion in 2013.
The amount of insured damage resulting from extreme weather in Canada grew from $200 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2012.

Extreme weather events used to happen every 40 years; now in part to climate change they are now expected to happen every six years.