Timeline: The Most Costly Hurricanes in the Atlantic
Only three of the 20 costliest hurricanes since 1990 occurred before 2000, as severity and frequency increase.
Hurricane Fiona brought a blow to Puerto Rico's power grid. More than a week after it hit, 33% of homes and businesses remained without power as of early this week.
The island has a tragic history of hurricanes. Since 1990, it has been hit, on average, with more than one hurricane or tropical storm each year.
That year was arguably the worst hurricane season ever — the 2nd (Harvey), 3rd (Maria), and 4th (Irma) all hit within months of each other. Irma hit Puerto Rico in August, leaving the country vulnerable and thousands without power. Maria followed Irma in September and delivered a devastating blow of $100B and 3,000 deaths to the island. Puerto Rico's population declined for two straight years in record numbers as many sought asylum in the US.
Hurricane severity and frequency seem to be increasing in recent years. Only three of the twenty costliest hurricanes recorded by the NOAA, happened before 2000.
The Climate Tech industry is quickly growing around the world and recently Latin America. Companies in this industry aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through technology. Most notably, Northvolt is a Swedish battery manufacturer worth $11B that aims to “make oil history.”
Will we see others emerge to solve Latin America’s climate problems? Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from the 2017 damage, with a lack of funding, and now, Fiona. In an effort to become less vulnerable to outages, The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has set an ambitious goal for the island to produce 100% renewable energy by 2050.