Midwest Flooding Leads to Staggering Price Tag

AccuWeather estimates the total damage and economic loss caused by record-breaking flooding in the Midwestern U.S. this spring will total $12.5 billion, based on an analysis of damages already inflicted and those expected by additional flooding.

A disaster aid bill being reviewed in Congress—a $14.2 billion package in a House-approved version and $13.5 billion in the Senate—is stalled over a partisan issue on aid to Puerto Rico.

Flooding erupted in the Midwest after a meteorological bomb cyclone hit the U.S. in March. The economic damage rivals that of some of the worst hurricanes in the U.S. The $12.5 billion estimate for flooding this spring would compare to Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irene (2011).

AccuWeather’s estimate includes farm losses—crop and livestock—damage to homes, their contents, cars, businesses, and infrastructure damage, as well as long-term impact from the flooding.

Devastating flooding in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Missouri this spring already has led to billion-dollar damage estimates in those states, according to officials. “When we look at the crop losses, the lost economic activity, it quickly climbs above $2 billion,” Iowa Farm Bureau senior economist Sam Funk told The Des Moines Register.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, who said the flooding aftermath was “the most extensive damage our state has ever experienced,” initially requested $1.3 billion in federal disaster funding (though that number ultimately may be lower). Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base suffered an estimated $1 billion in damages, and officials in Wisconsin estimate the damage in their state at $1.9 billion.

Other states impacted so far include Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas. At least 1 million acres of farmland were flooded and more than 1 million private water wells may be contaminated.

Other states that could see spring flooding include Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and California, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

Sources: Accuweather, Politico