From hurricanes and wildfires to floods and winter storms, natural disasters are striking the U.S. with greater frequency, severity, and cost. Our nation has wisely built reserves of oil, medicine, food, and even cash to weather these emergencies—but there’s one critical gap: housing. Every year, thousands of American families are displaced, yet there is no national stockpile of homes ready to deploy when crisis hits.
Billion-Dollar Disasters
Over The Past 20 Years
(2004–2024)
The United States has experienced more than 300 federally declared natural disasters, according to FEMA records. However, when focusing specifically on billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, the most destructive events, the statistics are even more striking:
267
Natural Disasters
2.2
In Damages
250
Homes Destroyed
1.
Frequency of Major Disasters
- From 1980 to 2024, the U.S. experienced 403 billion‑dollar weather and climate disasters (i.e. events with economic losses ≥ $1 billion, CPI‑adjusted) PreventionWeb+2Specialty Fuel Services+2The United Nations in Philippines+2NCEI+1NCEI+1.
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In the most recent five‑year period (2020–2024) alone, the annual average rose to 23 such events per year, significantly above the long-term average of 9 per year NCEI.
2.
Economic Cost
- During 2015–2024, billion‑dollar disasters in the U.S. caused roughly $765 billion in losses, with over 4,500 direct deaths AP News+8e2.org+8Climate.gov+8.
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Globally, from 2000 to 2019, major disasters cost around $2.97 trillion— U.S. costs represent a large share of that impact The United Nations in Philippines.
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Notable disasters:
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Winter Storm Uri (Feb 13–17, 2021): Estimated $195–196.5 billion in damages, making it the costliest storm on record in U.S. history at that time Wikipedia+1Wikipedia+1.
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2017 Hurricane Harvey: About $125 billion and at least 68 direct deaths in Texas and Louisiana AP News+1The Guardian+1.
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2018 California Wildfires (Camp Fire, Woolsey, etc.): Over $26 billion in property damage, with total loss estimates up to $148–400 billion depending on accounting methods. At least 103 fatalities, including 97 civilians and 6 firefighters Wikipedia.
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Hurricane Katrina (2005): Nearly 1,400 deaths and around $200 billion in damages, still the costliest U.S. disaster in modern history AP News.
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3.
Families Displaced
- Exact national totals on displacement are harder to compile. However:
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In statewide floods (e.g., Kentucky, 2022), thousands of families lost homes and possessions AP News.
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Hurricane Harvey (2017): Over 300,000 structures damaged or destroyed in Houston, forcing massive evacuations and displacement AP NewsWikipedia.
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FEMA’s Hazus modeling indicates California alone accounts for 75–77% of debris and displacement in U.S. earthquake scenarios FEMA+1Business Insider+1.
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The Nation’s Housing Reserve Starts Here
That’s Where ReadyPod Comes In.
Purpose-built for disaster relief, each ReadyPod unit is engineered for durability, speed of deployment, and long-term comfort. Stored strategically and rapidly shipped to disaster zones, ReadyPods can become our nation’s first-ever Housing Reserve—ready when the unthinkable happens.