As Hurricane Isaias barrels towards the East and Southern Coast, states most affected by hurricane damage are right in its path. In the last decade Florida, North Carolina, and Texas are some of the top states that incur the most damage from hurricanes and natural disasters.
ValuePenguin analyzed historic emergency data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assess the risks coastal property owners could face during hurricane season. ValuePenguin discovered that in the states along the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts hurricanes have caused $8 billion of damage since 2010.
This damage was focused in over 600 counties across eight states. Yet, in these counties, the number of property owners who could fully recover from a devastating storm surge is relatively low. In these counties, there are only four flood insurance policies for every 100 homes.
Flood damage isn’t covered by homeowners insurance. This, coupled with the low percentage of insured Americans living in these counties, means that if the hurricane seasons during the next decade resemble those of the last, tens of thousands of families could be left without homes.
Key findings:
- Florida experienced the most expensive losses overall with $3.5 billion of damage, while Texas had the highest average damage per storm, with a typical loss exceeding $1 billion.
- 628 counties were declared disaster zones for damage resulting from hurricanes, and the majority of counties experienced more than one emergency.
- North Carolina’s Dare, Brunswick and Hyde counties each experienced 10 separate FEMA emergencies on account of hurricanes — the most of anyone county.
- South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi experienced the highest frequencies of major disaster declarations. Each storm that hit these states resulted in an escalated federal response.
