The record-breaking blazes of 2021 wildfire season resulted in a lot of widespread destruction, but AccuWeather experts reveal that the economic damage estimate is very different from that of previous years.
Total Damage For 2021 Wildfire Season
There's nothing like a friendly wildfire season. Every year, thousands of structures are severely affected as fires engulf millions of acres, leading to damages that total billions of dollars.
But following a run of numerous record-smashing wildfire seasons the previous decade, the 2021 season so far has been as close as the people in the united states have come to a reprieve.
Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder and CEO made a rough calculation of the damage impacts of this year's season, and as per his estimates, 2021 will be far less ruinous than recent fire seasons.
Myers said: "The total damage and cumulative economic loss for the 2021 wildfire season is expected to be between $70 billion and $90 billion in the U.S. with $45 billion to $55 billion of those damages to California alone."
Also Read: US Witnessed Most Wildfires in June in 10 Years as it Heads to Peak Months
Areas the Estimation Covers
The chief drivers of that calculation in the previous years involved the number of structures affected by the blaze and also the worth of those structures and other infrastructure affected.
Other factors include the great costs incurred by general electrical system closure by utilities and the long tail of changes in health due to exposure of individuals to wildfire smoke.
Myers said: "This estimate, which includes both insured and uninsured losses and the impact on the U.S. economy, includes damage to homes and businesses as well as their contents and cars, job and wage losses, farm and crop losses, infrastructure damage, auxiliary business losses, school closures and the costs of power outages to businesses and individuals."
The estimate also covers economic losses due to evacuations, highway closures, and high insurance premiums all through the affected states, cancellation of flights and delays, firefighting costs, and the current and also long-term residual health impacts on individuals affected by dirty air.
2020 Vs. 2021 Wildfire Season
Wildfires have been accountable for ruining 6,000 structures this year as of October 1 which is lesser than the 14,000 structures affected during the last year's season. Adding to that, wildfires have been held responsible for six death, compared to the 47 deaths for the entire 2020 season.
This year, the fire has affected about 5.9 million acres of the western U.S. through September, almost half of 2020 total, which exceeded 10 million.
As per the National Interagency Fire Center, 46,190 distinct wildfires have affected various regions this 2021, including Northern California's Dixie Fire which is the largest solo wildfire ever recorded in U.S. history and second-largest in general, trailing just last year's August Complex fire.
Related Article: Wildfire Season 2021: California in State of Fire as it Burns More Frequently Than Ever
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