The 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks in New York were the worst “mega-disaster” of the past decade, according to the North American branch of Swiss insurer Zurich.

The 9/11 attacks top its list of natural and man-made disasters judged on their overall business impact, geographical scope, duration, lives and money lost and news coverage.

“Planning ahead for the unexpected is a critical component of any risk management program,” Zurich Risk Prevention Technical Services head Victor Gordon said.

The attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Centre towers were devastating for the insurance industry, with combined insurance losses of more than $US32.4 billion ($33.75 billion).

The SARS pandemic of 2002/03 came second on Zurich’s list. The eight-month pandemic caused 774 deaths after spreading from Guangdong province in China to 37 countries. As of May 2006, the pandemic has been fully contained.

Power blackouts across the US and Canada in 2003 were third on the list, followed by the 2004 tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma (2005) and the 2008 global credit crunch.

The 2008 Chinese earthquake, H1N1 pandemic, and this year’s Icelandic volcano eruption and European/Pakistan floods round off the list.