September Hurricanes Are Costly
Last year was the most active season in the 169 years hurricanes have been tracked, with a record-breaking 30 named storms totaling $43.2 billion in damage. Despite this hurricane season being well underway, and poised to be another above average year, many homeowners are still unaware of the potential financial hardships they could face.
Share these lessons learned from past September hurricanes with your community to help shed light on the value of flood insurance.
Hurricane Isabel, 2003. Causing more than $3 billion in damages, Hurricane Isabel ripped through America’s Mid-Atlantic. Many Americans suffered from high tide flooding. In Baltimore some streets flooded, and residents canoed down them, others became homeless as a result of flooded homes and apartment buildings.
Hurricane Frances, 2004. On Labor Day weekend in September 2004, Hurricane Frances made landfall in Florida. This 2-day storm brought15 inches of rainfall and left apartment buildings, and homes destroyed and flooded. Totals damage costs are estimated to be over $12 billion.
Hurricane Jeanne, 2004. The most severe impact from Hurricane Jeanne came from its immense rainfall. Starting in the Caribbean, Jeanne made its way through Florida before venturing north. Florida rainfall reached 9 inches while other states like Delaware reported a little over 7 inches of rainfall. Some areas remained flooded for over 2 weeks. In total, Hurricane Jeanna causes nearly 8 billion in damage.
Hurricane Rita, 2005. Rita devastated communities across Texas and Louisiana, including some that were still recovering from Hurricane Katrina which occurred only a month prior. Nearly 90 percent of the structures in Cameron, Louisiana were damaged or destroyed by extreme winds and floods. Hurricane Rita resulted in over $10 billion in damages.
Hurricane Ike, 2008. Hurricane Ike resulted in severe flooding in upper Texas and southwest Louisiana. Heavy rain, storm surge flooding and rainfall flooding followed Ike’s path. Hurricane Ike left many people approximately 4 and a half million people in the mid-west without power. Ike caused approximately $30 billion in damages to the United States.
Hurricane Irma, 2017. Hurricane Irma caused an estimated $50 billion in damages. Causing the worst flooding in Jacksonville’s history, Irma left more than a quarter-million people without power and more than 3,000 without shelter across Florida.
Past September hurricanes have affected millions of Americans, but those who were insured had a much quicker and easier time recovering from these catastrophic storms. Emphasize to your community that flood insurance is the best way to ensure coverage for homeowners, renters, and business owners following a hurricane or other flood event.
Learn more about NFIP’s free marketing resources at floodsmart.gov.
