Hurricanes
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HURRICANES AND RELATED DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1990-2007
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YEARS WITH CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE
LOSSES IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1998 (1)
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1998 |
1999 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| Frequency | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Claims | 729,450 | 695,850 | 133,700 | 527,800 | 2,259,150 | 3,315,550 |
| Personal (2) | 72.8% | 73.9% | 83.8% | 82.3% | 73.6% | 70.0% |
| Commercial (2) | 15.7% | 17.2% | 3.0% | 4.1% | 13.4% | 9.3% |
| Vehicles | 11.5% | 9.0% | 13.2% | 13.5% | 12.9% | 20.7% |
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| Losses (3) ($ millions) | $3,315 | $2,315 | $430 | $1,775 | $22,900 | $58,337 |
| Personal (2) | 34.9% | 39.4% | 66.5% | 74.9% | 65.7% | 49.8% |
| Commercial (2) | 59.8% | 55.6% | 26.7% | 14.0% | 29.6% | 44.7% |
| Vehicles | 5.4% | 5.0% | 6.7% | 11.1% | 4.6% | 5.5% |
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| Average claim severity | | | | | | |
| Personal (2) | $2,176 | $1,773 | $2,554 | $3,061 | $9,049 | $12,515 |
| Commercial (2) | $17,331 | $10,769 | $28,750 | $11,376 | $22,337 | $84,953 |
| Vehicles | $2,124 | $1,856 | $1,638 | $2,755 | $3,626 | $4,698 |
(1) ISO's Property Claim Services Unit currently defines catastrophes as events causing at least $25 million in direct insured losses to property and affecting significant numbers of insurers and insureds. There were no catastrophic hurricanes in 2000, 2001, 2006 or 2007. Stated in dollars when occurred.
(2) Property losses excluding vehicle losses.
(3) Does not include flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit. |
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THE FIVE COSTLIEST HURRICANES OF 2005
Rank |
Date |
Hurricane |
States |
Estimated insured loss ($ millions) |
Fatalities |
| 1 | Aug. 25-30 | Katrina | AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, TN | $41,100 | 1,500 |
| 2 | Oct. 24 | Wilma | FL | 10,300 | 5 |
| 3 | Sep. 20-26 | Rita | AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, TN, TX | 5,627 | 7 |
| 4 | Jul. 9-11 | Dennis | FL, AL, GA, MS | 1,115 | 3 |
| 5 | Sep. 14-16 | Ophelia | NC, FL | 35 | 1 |
| | Total | | | 58,177 | 1,518 |
| Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit; U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center. |
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THE 2007 AND 2008 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASONS
The 2007 hurricane season was relatively active, with 15 named storms. The average is 11. Six of the storms became hurricanes, which is the average number of hurricanes each year. Only one hurricane, Humberto, hit the United States in 2007, the first to strike the country since Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. Humberto struck Texas and Louisiana on September 13 and caused wind and rain damage in Texas but below catastrophe loss levels as defined by ISO.
As of November 10 there were 16 named storms in the 2008 season, including eight hurricanes. Hurricane Dolly made landfall in south Texas on July 23 as a Category 2 hurricane and caused $525 million in insured losses, according to ISO. Gustav, the second major hurricane of the 2008 season, made landfall about 70 miles southwest of New Orleans as a Category 2 hurricane. Losses for Gustav were estimated to be $1.9 billion by ISO. Hannah reached the border of South and North Carolina as a tropical storm on September 6 and caused $80 million in insured losses, according to ISO. Ike, the fifth and most costly hurricane, slammed into Texas as a Category 2 hurricane with winds just below Category 3. The third storm to hit Texas in 2008, Ike, a huge 260-mile wide storm, also caused insured losses in eight other states. Preliminary estimates for Ike's damage were $8.1 billion, according to ISO.
In 2006 and 2007, no hurricanes reached the $25 million catastrophe level defined by ISO. There were six catastrophic hurricanes in both 2005 and 1985, the highest annual tallies since 1949, the earliest year tracked by ISO.
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CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE LOSSES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1998-2007
Year |
Number of catastrophic hurricanes (1) |
Insured loss (In 2007 dollars) (2) |
Year |
Number of catastrophic hurricanes (1) |
Insured loss (In 2007 dollars) (2) |
| 1998 | 2 | $4.2 billion | 2003 | 2 | $2.0 billion |
| 1999 | 5 | 2.9 billion | 2004 | 5 | 25.1 billion |
| 2000 (3) | 0 | NA | 2005 | 6 | 61.9 billion |
| 2001 (3) | 0 | NA | 2006 (3) | 0 | NA |
| 2002 | 1 | 496.0 million | 2007 (3) | 0 | NA |
(1) Major hurricanes as defined by ISO.
(2) Adjusted to 2007 dollars by ISO. Does not include flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(3) No wind event met ISO's Property Claim Services Unit catastrophe definition of a single incident or a series of related incidents, man-made or natural disasters that causes insured property losses of at least $25 million and affects a significant number of policyholders and insurers.
NA=Not applicable.
Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit. |
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TOP 15 MOST COSTLY HURRICANES IN THE UNITED STATES
($ millions)
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Estimated insured loss (1) |
Rank |
Date |
Location |
Hurricane |
Dollars when occurred |
In 2007 dollars (2) |
| 1 | Aug. 25-30, 2005 | AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, TN | Katrina | $41,100 | $43,625 |
| 2 | Aug. 24-26, 1992 | FL, LA | Andrew | 15,500 | 22,902 |
| 3 | Oct. 24, 2005 | FL | Wilma | 10,300 | 10,933 |
| 4 | Aug. 13-14, 2004 | FL, NC, SC | Charley | 7,475 | 8,203 |
| 5 | Sep. 12-14, 2008 | AR, IL, IN, KY, LA, MO, OH, PA, TX | Ike | 8,100 | 8,100 (3) |
| 6 | Sep. 15-21, 2004 | AL, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV | Ivan | 7,110 | 7,803 |
| 7 | Sep. 17-22, 1989 | GA, NC, PR, SC, VA, U.S. Virgin Islands | Hugo | 4,195 | 7,013 |
| 8 | Sep. 20-26, 2005 | AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, TN, TX | Rita | 5,627 | 5,973 |
| 9 | Sep. 3-9, 2004 | FL, GA, NC, NY, SC | Frances | 4,595 | 5,043 |
| 10 | Sep. 15-29, 2004 | DE, FL, GA, MD, NJ, NY, NC, PA, PR, SC, VA | Jeanne | 3,655 | 4,011 |
| 11 | Sept. 21-28, 1998 | AL, FL, LA, MS, PR, U.S. Virgin Islands | Georges | 2,955 | 3,758 |
| 12 | Oct. 4, 1995 | FL, AL, GA, NC, SC, TN | Opal | 2,100 | 2,856 |
| 13 | Sep. 14-17, 1999 | NC, NJ, VA, FL, SC, PA, 10 other states | Floyd | 1,960 | 2,439 |
| 14 | Sep. 11, 1992 | Kaui and Oahu, HI | Iniki | 1,600 | 2,364 |
| 15 | Sep. 5, 1996 | NC, SC, VA, MD, WV, PA, OH | Fran | 1,600 | 2,114 |
(1) Property coverage only. Does not include flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(2) Adjusted to 2007 dollars by the Insurance Information Institute.
(3) Estimated. Expressed in 2008 dollars.
Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit; Insurance Information Institute. |
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TOP TEN STATES IN COASTAL POPULATION GROWTH,
BY CHANGE, 1980-2003 (1)
(millions)
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VALUE OF INSURED COASTAL PROPERTIES VULNERABLE TO HURRICANES BY STATE, 2007 (1)
($ billions)
State |
Coastal |
Total exposure (2) |
Coastal as a
percent of total |
| Florida | $2,458.6 | $3,119.6 | 79% |
| New York | 2,378.9 | 3,851.1 | 62 |
| Texas | 895.1 | 3,493.0 | 26 |
| Massachusetts | 772.8 | 1,426.4 | 54 |
| New Jersey | 635.5 | 1,875.2 | 34 |
| Connecticut | 479.9 | 750.4 | 64 |
| Louisiana | 224.4 | 638.4 | 35 |
| South Carolina | 191.9 | 698.2 | 28 |
| Virginia | 158.8 | 1,409.4 | 11 |
| Maine | 146.9 | 250.0 | 59 |
| North Carolina | 132.8 | 1,431.8 | 9 |
| Alabama | 92.5 | 744.8 | 12 |
| Georgia | 85.6 | 1,573.3 | 5 |
| Delaware | 60.6 | 170.8 | 36 |
| New Hampshire | 55.7 | 237.4 | 23 |
| Rhode Island | 54.1 | 189.3 | 29 |
| Mississippi | 51.8 | 394.6 | 13 |
| Maryland | 14.9 | 1,078.4 | 1 |
| Total, above states | $8,890.8 | $23,332.4 | 38% |
| Total U.S. | $8,890.8 | $53,495.0 | 17% |
(1) Includes residential and commercial properties. Ranked by value of insured coastal property.
(2) Total exposure is an estimate of the actual total value of all property in the state that is insured or can be insured, including the full replacement value of structures and their contents and the time value of business interruption coverage.
Source: AIR Worldwide. |
| - The insured value of properties in coastal areas of the United States grew at a compound annual rate of 7 percent in the three years from 2004 through 2007, according to an AIR Worldwide study. The study puts the insured value of coastal properties at $8.9 billion, or 17 percent of the insured value of properties in all states.
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HOMEOWNERS - LEADING WRITERS BY STATE (2007)
Click on the link below to download an Excel file of the leading writers of homeowners insurance by state:
 Download/View File: Excel File: Leading Writers of Homeowners (33 K) | |
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COMMERCIAL - LEADING WRITERS BY STATE (2007)
Click on the link below to download an Excel file of the leading writers of commercial insurance by state:
Download/View File: Excel File: Leading Writers of Commercial Multiple Peril (Non-liability) (33 K) | |
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