An analysis by the World Meteorological Organization, WMO, shows that floods and storms have dominated the list of natural disasters over the past 50 years. The impact is historic both in terms of deaths and economic losses.

The disasters that claimed the most lives were droughts, with 605,000. Next are storms that caused more than 577,000 deaths, floods with 58,700, and extreme temperatures with 55,700 deaths.

According to the United Nations (UN), from 1970 to 2019, storms caused damage to the economy to the tune of $521 billion. Losses from flooding, on the other hand, have reached $115 billion worldwide.

The WMO points out that in the period under review, disasters linked to climate and water hazards accounted for 45% of the deaths and 74% of the economic losses globally. 

Launching the report in Geneva, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas mentioned "the torrential rains and destructive floods that have recently caused deaths in both Europe and China."

Mozambique is the third most vulnerable African country to natural disasters occurring in the case of heavy rainfall causing risk of flooding.

Taalas also highlighted the heat waves in North America, which are linked to global warming. The WMO chief explained that the atmosphere has become warmer, with more humidity. As a consequence, it rains harder and the risks of flooding increase. 

According to Taalas, no country is immune, as "climate change is here and happening now." The WMO highlights some extreme events that have happened recently in Europe and Asia.