Photos: The disasters we lived through in 2017
The hurricanes and wildfires that pummeled the United States, in pictures.
By Kainaz Amaria and Eliza Barclay Dec 31, 2017, 12:40pm EST
In 2017, there were at least 16 natural disasters that each racked up over $1 billion in losses — one record-breaking catastrophe after another that made this year, by some counts, the most expensive disaster year in American history.
Most devastating were the three Category 4 hurricanes that barreled into the US in late summer: Harvey, Irma, and Maria. But the wildfire season also turned out far worse than officials expected, especially for California. Though it’s hard to pin any single weather event on climate change, there’s a scientific consensus that in a warming world, hurricanes and fires will become more intense and more destructive.
https://www.vox.com/2017/12/31/16812342/photos-disasters-2017-hurricanes-fires
