relief to those in desperate need. it was an affirmation of our society's basic belief. people should get the help they need in the wake of a disaster. that a tragic cruel twist of fate shouldn't be the thing that permanently knocks someone off their rung in the economic ladder. here's what adhering to that correct principle looks like in dollar figures. $136 billion has been spent on disaster relief just between 2011 and 2013 according to a study by american progress using conservative estimates, $68 billion came in the form of supplemental appropriations, the other $68 billion through the normal process. half of that spending wasn't budgeted ahead of time. the number of billion dollar weather events has risen from an average of two per year to more than ten per year. that trajectory isn't flattening out. increasing population density combined with the era of climate disaster means that we're going to spend more and more and more on providing relief to victims of weather catastrophes.