During the 1980s the United States averaged 3 weather events per year that exceeded one billion dollars – over the last five years, we’ve averaged 24 a year. The increase in billion-dollar disasters is driving up home and renters’ insurance costs across the country. 

We can’t just ignore the costs of extreme weather, and expect it to go away. But that’s exactly what the federal government is planning to do. Due to massive layoffs and slashed funding, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it will ‘retire’ its long-running Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster Database, a vital public service and important source of information from federal weather experts. Without it, consumers will be left open to price gouging and manipulation in home insurance markets that rely on NOAA’s data to set rates.   

We can’t leave the job of predicting weather and tracking disasters to private companies. Join us in urging Congress and the White House to properly fund and staff NOAA so it may continue to operate its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster Database and other essential national weather and climate tracking services for the benefit of all consumers.