The Most Expensive Hurricanes To The Insurance Industry

The majority of standard homeowner’s policies will include coverage for hurricane damage except for flood damage. Inhabitants of the Gulf Coast or the East Coast in the US are often encouraged to purchase a windstorm coverage policy as these areas are particularly susceptible to hurricanes. A total of nineteen states in the US have hurricane deductibles including Hawaii, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Maine.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy ranked as the most devastating hurricane of the entire 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. The hurricane resulted in the death of a minimum of 233 people in eight nations. Hurricane Sandy's total loss was $68.4 billion, $29.2 billion of which was insured. Losses in Santiago de Cuba Province was estimated at $2 billion while those in Jamaica were approximately $100 million. Hurricane Sandy resulted in devastation at multiple levels and the insurance categories affected included contingent business interruption, property, event cancellation, civil authority, and general liability. Insurers were forced to part with hefty payouts in such regions as New Jersey and New York.

Hurricane Mathew

The impact of hurricane Mathew was visible along the coasts of Haiti, Cuba, Bahamas, southeastern United States, and the Dominican Republic. Approximately 603 people died along the hurricane's path. The hurricane's total loss was approximated at $11.5 billion, $3.8 billion of which was insured. The most extreme effects were witnessed in Haiti where damages amounted to $1.9 billion in addition to 546 deaths. Majority of the insured losses happened in the US in the States of Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and North Carolina.

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene is ranked 9th among the costliest hurricanes to ravage the US. Its impact was witnessed in much of the Caribbean as well as the East Coast of the US. Losses in the US amounted to over $10 billion while those in Puerto Rico and Canada were $500 million and $130 million respectively. About $6 billion of the total loss was insured. Many of Puerto Rico's residents could not access potable water services at the hurricane's height while damage to roads and toppling of utility poles and trees were witnessed. Similar effects were visible in Hispaniola, Cuba, and Bahamas.

Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan was a fatal 2013 typhoon which coursed through parts of Southeast Asia. The typhoon resulted in the deaths of a minimum of 6,300 individuals in the Philippines alone to become the country's deadliest typhoon ever recorded. Several states in the nation were included in a state of national calamities such as Leyte, Cebu, Samar, Aklan, Palawan, and Iloilo. The typhoon's impact was also felt in the Chinese regions of Hainan, Qionghai, and Guangxi. Vietnam and Taiwan also suffered devastation from the typhoon. Typhoon Haiyan's overall losses were $10.4 billion of which only $0.7 billion was insured.

Typhoon Fitow

Typhoon Fitow coursed through the Asian nations of Japan, Taiwan, and China. Fitow damaged about 1,464 homes in Japan, and it facilitated power outages, disruptions of transport, and destruction of farms in Okinawa. About 75,000 hectares of cropland were flooded in China, and about 95,000 homes were destroyed. Numerous inhabitants of China were affected by flooding, and Ping An Insurance got 11,348 flooded car claims after the storm. Fitow's total losses were $8.0 billion, $0.7 billion of which was insured.