Hurricane Irma Likely to Make Landfall in Florida or the Southeast U.S.; Devastating Winds and Storm Surge Expected

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Sep 07, 2017, 14:43 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hurricane Irma is likely to make landfall along the Florida coast or the Southeast U.S. as a major hurricane—the second major storm to hit the United States in about two weeks. Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) subject matter experts are available to assist reporters with questions on insurance coverage, the insurance industry's disaster response and how this storm differs from Harvey.

"Irma is currently one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. The only hurricane in the Atlantic that has been stronger than Irma was Hurricane Allen in 1980," said Dr. Philip J. Klotzbach, meteorologist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU) and a nonresident scholar with the I.I.I. "Low vertical wind shear (the change in wind direction with the height of the atmosphere) and warmer than normal sea surface temperatures were the perfect recipe for this extraordinarily strong storm," he noted.

"It is likely this storm will be more of a wind event than a flood event," said I.I.I. CEO Sean Kevelighan. "We urge anyone in the path of the storm to listen to local authorities, while also doing what is needed to prepare, such as reinforcing windows with shutters and taking a home inventory, if time permits. If you have to evacuate, bring your financial documents, including your insurance policy, so you can start the claims process once the storm has passed," said Kevelighan. "Keep in mind, the more prepared you are, the greater the potential to be more resilient and withstand damage."

Top 10 Costliest Hurricanes in the United States (1)
($ millions)

				Estimated insured loss (2)
Rank	Date	Location	Hurricane	Dollars when occurred	In 2016 dollars (3)
1	Aug. 25-30, 2005	AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, TN	Hurricane Katrina	$41,100	$49,793

2	Aug. 24-26, 1992	FL, LA	Hurricane Andrew	15,500	24,478
3	Oct. 28-31, 2012	CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NC,NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV	Hurricane Sandy	18,750	19,860
4	Sep. 12-14, 2008	AR, IL, IN, KY, LA, MO, OH, PA, TX	Hurricane Ike	12,500	14,036
5	Oct. 24, 2005	FL	Hurricane Wilma	10,300	12,479
6	Aug. 13-14, 2004	FL, NC, SC	Hurricane Charley	7,475	9,348
7	Sep. 15-21, 2004	AL, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV	Hurricane Ivan	7,110	8,891
8	Sep. 17-22, 1989	GA, NC, PR, SC, UV, VA	Hurricane Hugo	4,195	7,260
9	Sep. 20-26, 2005	AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, TN, TX	Hurricane Rita	5,627	6,817
10	Sep. 3-9, 2004	FL, GA, NC, NY, SC	Hurricane Frances	4,595	5,746

(1) Includes hurricanes occurring through 2016.
(2) Property coverage only. Excludes flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(3) Adjusted for inflation through 2016 by ISO using the GDP implicit price deflator.

Source: Property Claim Services (PCS®), a Verisk Analytics® business.

Wind damage from tropical storms and hurricanes is covered under standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies. Flood damage is excluded under standard home and business policies. Separate flood coverage can be purchased from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and some private insurers.

Damage to cars from tropical storms and hurricanes is covered under the optional comprehensive coverage available with a standard auto insurance policy. Nearly four out of five drivers choose to purchase comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage for automobiles includes wind damage, flooding and damage from falling objects, such as tree limbs.

As Hurricane Irma prepares to make landfall, the number one priority is public safety. Mandatory evacuations are already in place in parts of Florida. Heeding evacuation orders is imperative. The I.I.I. recommends that Floridians recall the lessons from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Wilma in 2005. Not only can high winds be deadly; storm surge is also a serious threat to human life. Residents near coastal areas and inland bodies of water should have a plan for evacuating from flood-prone areas—and be ready to put that plan into action.

For more information, visit the following resources:

Facts and Statistics
Flood Insurance
Hurricanes
Hurricane Fact File: Florida

Consumer and Business Resources
Avoiding Scams After a Disaster
Disaster Planning for Older Adults
Filing an Auto Insurance Claim
How Do I File a Homeowners Insurance Claim?
Preparing an Evacuation Plan
Trees and Insurance

Background Papers
Catastrophes: Insurance Issues
FEMA Report on Impact of Hurricane Ike
Flood Insurance
Residual Market Property Plans

Videos
Disaster Planning with Pets
Filing a Homeowners Claim

Additional Resources
Colorado State University
FEMA: Coming Home After a Flood; Debris Removal Guidelines; How To File A Flood Insurance Claim
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

The I.I.I. has a full library of educational videos on its YouTube Channel.

THE I.I.I. IS A NONPROFIT, COMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED BY THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.

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SOURCE Insurance Information Institute