Population Growth Drives Hurricane Loss Trends

Citing 2020 U.S. Census data, Triple-I reported double-digit percent population growth in four hurricane-prone coastal states since 2010: Florida (+14.6 percent), Caroline from the south (+10.7 percent), Georgia (+10.6%) and Delaware (+10.2 percent).

“As wind speed and storm surge in coastal areas grab headlines, inland flooding is on the rise,” Triple-I’s Issues Brief added. Hurricane Ida, for example, made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2021and a few days later, deadly floods affected parts of Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New Yorkand Pennsylvania away, from shore, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report found.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30. Colorado State University (USC) The Department of Atmospheric Sciences last week predicted the formation of 17 more named storms this year, in addition to the three that have already developed: Alex, Bonnie and Colin. In addition, USC predicts that 10 of the 17 storms will become hurricanes, and five of the 10 will be classified as major. A typical hurricane season includes 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

Triple-I’s Issues Brief offers three insurance tips for people living in hurricane-prone states:

  • Check your home insurance policy to make sure the structure policy limit, listed under Coverage A, is high enough to rebuild the home in the event of a total loss;
  • Review your policy for hurricane deductibles; and
  • Consider purchasing a flood insurance policy, as property damage from flooding is not covered by standard home insurance policies.

Standard home insurance policies cover the structure and contents of a home for property damage caused by wind. Flood policies cover the structure and contents of a home damaged by flooding. These are offered through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and several private insurers.

Additionally, Triple-I’s Resilience Accelerator uses advanced data analytics to create tools that empower residents to build more resilient communities before hurricanes strike. It also demonstrates the power of insurance as a force for resilience by showing how insured communities recover faster and more completely after a natural disaster.

RELATED LINKS

Facts and statistics
Hurricanes

Consumer information
Disasters: insurance issues
Videos
Nonresident Triple-I Researcher Dr. Phil Klotzbach discusses CSU’s hurricane season forecast (July 7 report)
Hurricane Insurance Guide

The Triple-I has an extensive library of educational videos on its YouTube channel.

SOURCE Insurance Information Institute