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8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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2010 First American Storm Surge
Residential Storm Surge Exposure Estimates fo
2009 The First American Corporation NYSE: FAF
To learn more about First American and First American Spatial Solutions,
visit www.faspatial.com or call 800.447.9599
About The First American Corporation
The First American Corporation (NYSE: FAF) is a FORTUNE
500 company that traces its history to 1889. With revenues
of $8.5 billion in 2006, it is Americas largest provider of
business information. First American combines advanced
analytics with its vast data resources to supply businesses
and consumers with valuable information products to
support the major economic events of peoples lives, suchas getting a job, renting an apartment, buying a car or
house, securing a mortgage and opening or buying
a business. The First American Family of Companies,
many of which command leading market share positions
in their respective industries, operates within ve primary
business segments, including: Title Insurance and Services,
Specialty Insurance, Mortgage Information, Property
Information and First Advantage. More information about
the company and an archive of its press releases can befound at www.rstam.com.
Conclusion
Coastal storm surges are very complex events that consist
of many different components that inuence their effect on
properties and assets. Any insurer with policies exposed
to natural catastrophes can benet from First American
predictive hazard analytics. Using up-to-date geographic
and scientic data, our scientists are able to evaluate
with quantitative techniques the probability of impact at
a property-level. Any insurer that has to account for risk
exposure and determine the cost needed to cover the
risk can utilize First Americans predictive hazard analytics
to help quantify these risks by predicting the chances
of exposure at the property-level. Taking the form of
hazard scores, these analytical models can reduce the
amount of time it takes to contemplate and measure the
accumulation of risk, especially for risk managers and in the
insurance market where underwriting decisions are now
made in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. Using
predictive analytics from First American can lead to proper
pricing decisions, which can help mitigate future risk of
default, loss or fraud in any industry.
From an insurance perspective, as demonstrated by this
research, American Atlantic and Gulf Coastal cities are at
risk from storm surge. Insurers are largely abandoning the
coastal market. Yet as coastal population density continues
to grow, so does the need for insurance coverage.
First American has developed a sophisticated approach
to underwriting that allows carriers to make sound risk
decisions that can tap this growing insurance market.
First Americans Coastal Storm Surge Risk provides an
increase in overall granularity by combining ve data sets;
Coastal Surge Risk, Hurricane Propensity, Coastal Water
Feature and Mainland Determination, and Elevation into
an easy-to-use and understandable scoring method. First
Americans Coastal Risk provides i nsurers a more accurate
property-based methodology to understanding hazard risk
information, so insurers can better understand a propertys
coastal risk exposure for improved underwriting without
resorting to broad brush exclusion strategies.
With Coastal Risk, insurers will not only improve
underwriting decisions, they will be able to: reduce the
potential for loss and adverse selection over traditional
insurance practices, understand their potential for surge
loss, and determine the potential for hurricane lossesresulting from storm surge. Coastal surge and hurricane
propensity les are available for the Atlantic and Gulf
Coastal areas while the other data sets cover all coastal
waters and the Great Lakes.
Images courtesy of Google Earth.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Understanding Storm Surge 4
Storm-Surge Impact on Insurance 5
Report Methodology 6
13 Cities Reports 8
Gulf Shores, AlabamaBrownsville, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Long Island, New York
Jacksonville, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
Charleston, South Carolina
Houston-Galveston, Texas
Tampa, Florida
Virginia Beach, VirginiaMiami-Dade, Florida
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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Hurricane Ike alerted the nation to the dangersand devastation of hurricane-driven storm surge.
On the morning of September 13, 2008, a national
television audience sat on the edge of their living room
chairs as they watched Hurricane Ike come ashore on
Galveston Island, Texas. What would become the third
most costly hurricane to ever hit the U.S., Ike made landfall
over the northern end of Galveston, with hurricane-force
winds extending 120 miles from the center. Ike struck
Texas as a strong Category 2 hurricane, but it was the
Category 4 equivalent storm surge that was the big news
story. As network and cable news showed forecast maps
of the impending deadly surge reaching 20 miles i nland,
viewers held their breath hoping the storm wasnt as dire
as predicted, and that the residents of Galveston had
evacuated safely.
The storm surge ahead of Ike rst came ashore along
the coast of Louisiana, well ahead of Ikes landfall. Areas
in coastal south-central and southwestern Louisiana, still
recovering from Hurricane Gustav, were re-ooded as a
result of Ike. The hardest-hit areas were in and around
Cameron Parish, which also sustained catastrophic
damage in 2005 from Hurricane Rita and in 1957 from
Hurricane Audrey. Nearly every square inch of the
immediate coastline was ooded heavily once again,
with oodwaters reaching as far north as Lake Charles.
In Galveston, by 4 p.m. CDT on September 12, the rising
storm surge overtopped the 17-foot Galveston Seawall,
which faces the Gulf of Mexico. Although Seawall
Boulevard is elevated above the shoreline, many areas of
town slope down behind the seawall to the lower elevation
of Galveston Island. Despite advance evacuation plans,
an estimated quarter of the citys residents ignored calls
to evacuate, in spite of predictions that most of Galveston
Island would suffer heavy ooding. Although Ike was still
10 hours from landfall, there was widespread ooding
across the island, including downtown Galveston. Water
was six feet deep inside the Galveston County Courthouse
and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
was ooded.
At 2 a.m. CST on September 13, the eye of Hurricane Ike
made landfall over the east end of Galveston Island, with
a high storm surge, and travelled north up Galveston Bay,
along the east side of Houston. People in low-lying areas
who had not heeded evacuation orders were warned by
the weather service that they may face certain death
from the overnight storm surge, a statement that turned
out to be true for some unable or unwilling to evacuate.
On the Bolivar Peninsula, in Texas, dozen
rescued as ood waters exceeded 12 fee
in advance of the hurricane. The peninsul
of Ikes right-front quadrant, the worst pa
and experienced catastrophic damage. A
destroyed homes exceeded 80%, and a la
people who failed to evacuate in advanc
remained unaccounted for and presumed
The southeast Texas communities of Bridg
Sabine Lake, and large areas of nearby O
from the centre of landfall) were inundate
surge. Bridge City saw all but a dozen ho
the surge. Waterfront areas of Clear Lake
with oating debris battering homes and
In the aftermath of Ike, Galveston was left
distinction of having had the single worst
(The Hurricane of 1900) and the third cost
U.S. history, both due to massive storm su
Galveston, up the Texas, Louisiana and M
the most extensive damages were due no
the very same storm surge.
Galveston is not alone in its exposure to s
The U.S. coastline is rife with areas that a
exposed. This report examines 13 differe
the East and Gulf Coast of the U.S. and q
risk these communities face with a focus o
exposure and the risk-assessment possib
any storm.
Bluewater Drive on the Bolivar Peninsula following Hurricane Ike.
2
Image supplied by Pictometry
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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A global phenomenon, storm surge is one of the most
disastrous natural ooding events that can occur. The U.S.,
with its exposure to tropical storms along its East and Gulf
Coasts, has long been aware of the horrible consequences
of storm surge. With billions of dollars in insured losses
and countless lives lost to storm surge, the U.S. has seen
more than its fair share of destruction wrought by this
natural catastrophe.
Storm surge is triggered primarily by a combination of
storm systems and tides and can be inuenced by the
depth of water off the coastline and by the bathymetry
(or topographical features) of the ocean bottom. As a
hurricane moves across the ocean, the high winds and low
pressure created by the storm act like a straw and create
a mound of water at the center of the storm. The strong
winds inside the hurricane act like a plow, causing water to
pile-up along the front of the storm, particularly along
the right-front quadrant. These two effects cause a large
bulge of water to develop. Over deep water, far from land,
this water bulge is allowed to ow away, keeping the rise in
sea level small. As the storm moves closer to shore, where
the water depth is shallow, the water has nowhere to go
and the bulge of water grows. When the hurricane moves
onshore, and particularly if landfall is at high tide, vast
quantities of water are amassed along the coastline and
ood large areas of land. High waves further aggravate
this situation. Where low-lying coastlines are protected
by dikes, seawater cannot ow back into the sea after
ooding has occurred. Furthermore, a storm surge will
push up a river estuary and can cause damage over great
distances inland.
Storm surge moves with the forward speed of the
hurricanetypically 1015 mph. One cubic yard of sea
water weighs 1,728 poundsalmost a ton. Compounding
the destructive power of the rushing water is the large
amount of oating debris that typically accompanies the
surge. Trees, pieces of buildings and other debris oat on
top of the storm surge and act as battering rams that can
cave in buildings. The storm surge can begin to rise a day
before the storm hits and affect areas which are not in the
direct path of the hurricane. This is particularly true along
the Gulf of Mexico shore.
While the wind intensity of a hurricane may make up the
majority of headlines as it bowls its way across the Atlantic
towards a major U.S. city, storm-surge inundation will be
the primary culprit to cause residential damage, due to
intense ooding and residual standing water.
Storm-Surge Impact on Insurance
Retired insurance agent Norman Broussard and his wife
Genevieve lived at 154 Brady Drive in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Their home, which they built in the 1960s, was just a
short stroll from the picturesque Mississippi Sound.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, they sought refuge with their
daughter. But when they returned, there was nothing left
but the concrete slabthe slab the home used to sit
upon. The Broussards led a claim with State Farm. They
argued that their home and its contents were destroyed by
the hurricane-force winds. State Farm, Mississippis largest
insurer, denied the claim. The company asserted that the
house had been destroyed by the storm surge, or ood,
for which coverage was excluded. The Broussards sued.
Theirs was the rst of the so-called slab suits to go to
trial. The courts decision, rendered on January 17, 2007,
was a warning to all carriers handling coastal property.
In a directed verdict, Judge L.T. Senter found in favor
of the Broussards, reasoning that the insurer could not
prove what portion of the loss was due to ooding and
what portion to wind. The judge then sent the question of
punitive damages to the jury, which promptly awarded the
plaintiffs $2.5M (later reduced to $1M).
The impact of this award, plus other pending slab suits,
forced State Farm into negotiations with 640 other
litigants in a class-action suit. According to the insurer,
as of April 2007, they had paid $1.2B to settle claims of
Mississippi policyholders.
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season that included Katrina
was the most catastrophic ever recorded, and it changed
the way the insurance industry conducts business.
Faced with potential staggering costs and the prospect
of continuing global climate changes, insurers began
abandoning coastal marketsor have created articial
coastal buffersin an attempt to exclude properties
vulnerable to storm surge. The difculty for insurers is
that storm surge cannot be neatly contained by buffers,
as some properties within the buffers may have less
risk and are insurable. Companies that can accurately
identify low-risk coastal properties can provide a valuable
service, while reaping handsome prots. But to seize this
opportunity, insurers must be able to reliably determine
the risk of catastrophic hurricane loss. This can be done
using the advanced data modelling and technology from
First American Spatial Solutions.
First American Storm Surge Spatial Ana
First Americans Geographic Information
(GIS) experts and staff of Ph.D-level geog
hydrologists have developed a state-of-t
surge spatial analytic, which generates sto
inundation polygons for all counties alon
Atlantic Coasts. Different from the govern
SLOSH model, the First American spatial
for changes in coastal elevations and barr
movement of surge waters, and produce
identifying ve zones of storm surge, rate
to extreme. Using this data, underwriters
detailed surge-risk scores for specic prop
and identify properties that generate hig
yet are less susceptible to storm-surge da
with this intelligence, insurers can take ad
coastal market opportunities or better qu
While the analytic only produces polygon
inundation, the First American U.S. River
Surge Model can model portfolios for bot
and storm surge and produces both a Pro
Loss and Average Annual Loss. The analy
report is best used at the point of underw
assess risk.
4
17-ft. Storm Tide
2-ft. Normal Tide15-ft. Surge
Mean Sea Level
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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Report Methodology
This report examines the exposure of single residential
structures to storm surge within 13 predened geographic
areas in the U.S. The gures used reect current structure
value and do not consider replacement costs, contents,
auto, life or business interruption. While wind would
certainly contribute signicantly to the loss incurred in the
event of a hurricane, the properties identied in this report
are only those that would be wet in a storm-surge event.
First American storm-surge polygons assume the worst-
case scenario for each category of hurricane. This includes:
Maximum wind speed for each category at time
of landfall
Right-front quadrant of the storm at landfall
Peak high tide at time of landfall
First American utilized its extensive database of parcels
to identify the properties that fell within the perimeter
of each category of the storm-surge inundation polygon.
A parcel is the individual property associated with an
address and is the most granular way to identify properties
exposed to natural hazards. First American has mapped
over 123 million properties in the U.S. To determine
residential exposure value, First American Spatial
Solutionsdeveloper of the storm-surge model
partnered with First American CoreLogic, who provided
residential valuations for the structure. First American then
identied every property contained within each category
of the storm-surge polygon and matched the structure
valuation for each residential structure identied. Each
geographic area was totalled by hurricane category and
the totals were then broken out into individual areas within
each geographic area by category. The nal result is the
current value of the total structures exposed to each
storm-surge event.
Loss Processes Considered
While this report examines exposure and not loss, storm
surge can cause massive damage to structures in several
ways that result in a total loss of the structure. The loss
processes involved in a storm-surge event are catastrophic,
and include:
Water Depth: Water can cause many different types of
damage. Absorptive materials, such as drywall, swell
and burst. Electrical systems short circuit. Empty fuel
oil and gas tanks are destabilized and their supply lines
spring leaks. Metals corrode in the salt water. Another
damage-relevant factor is that the surge waters transport
particulates and are polluted by chemical and/or biological
substances. These substances seep into the smallest
cracks and cavities and are deposited there. Later when
water may be easy to remove during remediation, these
pollutants are not. They eventually damage or destroy
materials. The higher the water level rises, the more the
property gets wet and the greater the resulting damage.
Storm Surge Velocity:Wind-driven water moving at
1015 mph has tremendous power. A cubic yard of sea
water weighs 1,728 poundsalmost a tonand it can
easily erode shorelines and banks, and underwash pilings
and slabs. This can result in the collapse of the affected
structure. Large waves breaking on the coastline can also
sweep away entire structures.
Transportation of Debris: Depending on the velocity
of the ow and the ground conditions, storm surge can
deposit large amounts of sand, sediment and gravel in a
structure. Additionally, uprooted tress, pilings, boats, cars
and other large objects often cause damage when swept
up against structures.
Standing Period:After a storm surge, the water which
came on shore can stand for weeks, unable to escape
to the sea, due to levees or other structural barriers like
raised railroad tracks. New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
was a compelling example of how water can become
trapped in low-lying areas, creating a toxic lake of debris.
The general rule is: the longer water stands, the more
damage it does. Organic materials start to rot, mortar
disintegrates, metals corrode, bacteria multiply very swiftly
depending on water temperature, and watertight buildings
come loose of their moorings as a result of the rising
ground water.
The devastating interplay of these factors results in
unpredictable damages for a property owner.
Geographic Areas
First American considered several factors when selecting
the areas of the U.S. to study, including:
Hurricane Probability: First American utilizes a numerical
index equated to a score of low to extreme to assess
relative vulnerability to hurricanes for U.S. coastal
counties. The index includes measures of both incidence
and exposure. Incidence is measured by the number of
landfalling hurricanes impacting a county over the past
century. Exposure is quantied by both population and
property value subject to hurricanes.
Vulnerability:Storm surge is most pervasive in coastal
areas that have a relatively shallow offshore bathymetry,
low-lying coastlines or river estuaries. Surge and wave
heights on shore are affected by the conguration and
bathymetry of the ocean bottom. A narrow shelf, or one
that has a steep drop from the shoreline and subsequently
produces deep water in close proximity to the shoreline,
tends to produce a lower surge, but a higher and more
powerful wave. This situation is well exemplied by the
southeast coast of Florida. Conversely, coastlines along
North America, such as those along the Gulf of Mexico
coast from Texas to Florida, have long, gently sloping
shelves and shallow water depths. These areas are subject
to higher storm surges, but smaller waves. In deeper
water, a surge can be dispersed down and away from
the hurricane, however, upon entering a shallow, gently
sloping shelf, the surge cannot be dispersed away, but
is driven ashore by the wind stresses of the hurricane.
Topography of the land surface is another important
element in storm-surge extent. Areas where the land lies
less than a few meters above sea level are at particular
risk from storm-surge inundation. The rainfall effect is
experienced predominantly in estuaries. Hurricanes may
dump considerable rainfall in 24 hours over large areas,
and higher rainfall densities in localized areas. As a result,
watersheds can quickly surge water into the rivers that
drain them. This can increase the water level near the
head of tidal estuaries as storm-driven waters surging in
from the ocean meet rainfall owing from the estuary.
Residential Density: Most of the nations m
populated areas are located along the coa
the 25 most densely populated U.S. count
Coastal counties average 300 persons per
much higher than the national average of
square mile. Since 1980, population densit
in coastal counties by 65 persons per squa
by 28%. First American used the United St
Management and Budget (OMB) Metropo
Areas (MSAs) table to identify large popul
correlated to the storm-surge vulnerability
the model.
First American chose the following geogra
to review:
Gulf Shores-Mobile, AL
Brownsville, TX
Corpus Christi, TX
Myrtle Beach, SC
Wilmington, NC
Long Island, NY
Jacksonville, FL
New Orleans, LA
Charleston, SC
Houston-Galveston, TX
Tampa, FL
Virginia Beach, VA
Miami-Dade, FL
6
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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Gulf Shores, Alabama
Category 5 Exposure: $1,154,467,296.00
Hurricane Probability: High
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 5,485 $932,245,396.00
Category 2 5,571 $945,785,396.00
Category 3 6,068 $1,024,755,196.00
Category 4 6,900 $1,131,645,796.00
Category 5 7,098 $1,154,467,296.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
SUMMERDALE 36580 66 $5,739,700.00
BAY MINETTE 36507 60 $6,855,500.00
SPANISH FORT 36527 83 $23,423,900.00
LILLIAN 36549 187 $26,546,700.00
DAPHNE 36526 160 $30,168,700.00
ELBERTA 36530 416 $38,604,100.00
FOLEY 36535 435 $49,971,900.00
FAIRHOPE 36532 385 $65,490,000.00
ORANGE BEACH 36561 2,103 $419,982,450.00
GULF SHORES 36542 3,029 $473,759,446.00
GulfShores,
Alabama
8
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting Gulf Shores andMobile, Alabama.
View of storm-surge impact ondowntown Mobile, Alabama.A direct hit Category 2hurricane would oodmost of the downtown area.
View of residential parcel andstorm-surge impact on GulfShores, Alabama 36542, whichwould see $473M in exposedresidential property in the eventof a Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane on the Safr/Simpson schedulestriking the Alabama shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico wouldexpose over $1.2B worth of residences to storm surge,affecting nearly 7,000 properties. Even if the hurricane isonly a Category 1, it could cause residents total propertydamage of over $932M, affecting over 5,400 homes.
Residential areas that would be most hit by a hurricanewould be the towns of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach,Fairhope, Foley and Elberta.
In 1906, 1916 and 1926, unnamed hurricanes created astorm surge of 10 feet along the coast of Alabama. In1950, Hurricane Baker, a Category 1 storm, came ashoreAugust 30, with gusts up to 115 mph and produced stormsurge that reached all the way to the panhandle of Florida.In 1969, Hurricane Camille, one of the most powerfulstorms in U.S. history, produced a record storm surge of24.5 feet above sea level at Pass Christian, Mississippi.Alabama experienced damage all along U.S. Highway 90,with 26,000 homes and over 1,000 businesses wiped outcompletely. Camilles large circulation also resulted in a3 to 5 foot storm surge in Apalachicola, Florida. OnSeptember 12, 1979, Hurricane Frederic passed 45 milesto the west of Gulf Shores as a Category 3. Storm-surge
damage was reported along 80 miles of coastline fromMississippi to Florida, with tides 8 to 12 feet above normal.
Near-total property damage occurred along the Alabamacoastline between Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores, thelatter seeing 80% of its buildings completely destroyed.The causeway linking Dauphin Island to the mainland wasswept away in many areas and 70% of Dauphin Island wascompletely inundated by the storm surge from Camille.
More recently, the state of Alabama was heavily hit byHurricane Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005. In 2004, Ivan wasa very powerful and unusual storm. It was the rst majorhurricane on record to form as low as 10 degrees latitude.Ivan broke several hydrological records; it is credited withpossibly causing the largest ocean wave ever recorded, a91-foot wave that may have been as high as 131 feet, andthe fastest sea-oor current, at 5 miles per hour. High surfand wind brought extensive damage to Orange Beach,near the Alabama border with Florida. There, two ve-storycondominium buildings were undermined to the point ofcollapse by Ivans storm surge of 14 feet. Both were madeof steel-reinforced concrete. Debris gathered in pilesalong the storm tide, exacerbating the damage when theoodwaters crashed into homes sitting on pilings. In 2005,Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, well to thewest of Mobile, Alabama. However, Mobile was affectedby a storm surge varying from 12 to 16 feet around Mobile
Bay, with higher waves on top. The surge caused signicantooding several miles inland, along Mobile Bay, as well.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
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South Padre/Brownsville, Texas
Category 5 Exposure: $1,723,400,149.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Low
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 984 $182,574,848.00
Category 2 2,458 $370,333,930.00
Category 3 5,428 $564,363,833.00
Category 4 13,587 $1,100,445,605.00
Category 5 24,459 $1,723,400,149.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
HARLINGEN 78552 8 $168,561.00
HARLINGEN 78550 132 $19,470,959.00
BROWNSVILLE 78520 339 $23,116,041.00
RIO HONDO 78583 585 $27,268,240.00
SAN BENITO 78586 901 $28,206,626.00
LOS FRESNOS 78566 1,593 $99,198,611.00
PORT ISABEL 78578 1,929 $205,202,969.00SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 78597 921 $235,350,580.00
BROWNSVILLE 78521 9,954 $450,571,054.00
BROWNSVILLE 78526 8,097 $634,846,508.00
Brownsville,
Texas
10
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting Brownsvilleand Padre Island, Texas.
View of storm-surge impacton downtown Padre Island.A direct hit Category 2hurricane would oodmost of the downtownand resort areas.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impacton 25 miles inland inBrownsville, Texas 78526,which would see $634Min exposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane striking the Brownsville, Texas areawould expose up to $1.7B worth of residential propertyand would affect nearly 24,459 properties. Even if thehurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could cause arearesidents total property damage of over $182M, affectingnearly 1,000 homes.
The last major storm surge events occurred in 1933, 1967and in 1980. In September of 1933, a storm surge of 13 ftcame ashore with a Category 3, killing 40 and injuring 500.In 1967, Hurricane Beulah made landfall to the south ofPadre Island with winds reaching gusts of up to 136 mph.Beulahs strength was seen in the impact the storm surgehad along Padre Island. A total of 31 cuts new channelthrough a barrier island were observed through theisland, in the portion extending south from a point 30 milessouth of Corpus Christi. The storm surge was found tohave reached a height of at l east 18 ft. In 1980, HurricaneAllen moved inland north of Brownsville, bringing hightides and winds over the least-populated section of theTexas coast. Only two deaths were directly attributed to
Allen. The strongest measured winds were gusts up to129 mph at Port Manseld, Texas. A storm surge up to 12ft along Padre Island caused numerous barrier island cutsand washouts.
The latest hurricane to hit the area was in July 2008 whenHurricane Dolly hit extreme South Texas. On July 23,2008, the hurricane made landfall on South Padre Island,Texas as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds at 85mph. It continued over the bay (or Laguna Madre) makinglandfall on the mainland near the Cameron-Willacy Countyline. All the areas of the Rio Grande Valley including SouthPadre Island, Brownsville, Port Isabel, Laguna Vista, LosFresnos, Bayview, San Benito, Rio Hondo, Arroyo Cityand Harlingen were hit with heavy wind and substantialooding. Dolly is considered to be the most destructivehurricane to hit the area in 41 years. The total damagein Texas was estimated at over $1B also making it the 4thmost destructive Texas hurricane on record based on totalcost.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
8/18
Corpus Christi, Texas
Category 5 Exposure: $4,653,184,819.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 5,274 $828,341,745.00
Category 2 7,470 $1,081,646,727.00
Category 3 12,190 $1,681,929,618.00
Category 4 26,250 $3,269,527,283.00
Category 5 38,506 $4,653,184,819.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
CORPUS CHRISTI 78404 61 $14,613,112.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78407 810 $21,182,752.00
ROBSTOWN 78380 364 $23,196,810.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78410 543 $68,994,433.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78411 1,292 $209,452,663.00
PORT ARANSAS 78373 2,695 $407,444,403.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78413 5,127 $707,863,805.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78412 8,532 $832,495,267.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78418 9,816 $1,142,485,630.00
CORPUS CHRISTI 78414 8,735 $1,194,648,690.00
CorpusChristi,
Texas
12
Overhead view ofCategories 15 stormsurge impactingCorpus Christi, Texas.
View of storm-surge impacton downtown CorpusChristi. A direct hit Category5 hurricane would oodonly a partial section of thedowntown area.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onCorpus Christi, Texas 78414,which would see $1.1B inexposed residential propertyin the event of a Category5 hurricane. Note how thestorm surge works back upthe creek system to ood theneighborhood.
A Category 5 hurricane hitting the Corpus Christi areawould expose over $4.5B worth of residential property,affecting a total of nearly 39,000 properties. Even if thehurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could cause CorpusChristi residents total property damage of over $828M,affecting over 5,200 homes.Residential areas that would be most hit by a hurricanewould be the Alice, Port Aransas, Robstown and CorpusChristi areas.
In 1919, a hurricane hit Corpus Christi making landfall onSeptember 14, where the eye went inland south of thecity. This unnamed storm was the fourth most intense and
deadly storm of the 20th century. Tides rose 16 ft abovenormal and 287 lives were lost. As a main home to anumber of Gulf of Mexico oil reneries and their workers,the Corpus Christi area was lucky to have avoided mostof Hurricane Ike, which hammered the Texas coastlineinparticular Galveston.
While Corpus Christi has not been directly hit by a majorhurricane in a number of years it often impacted bytropical storms, which can also have signicant stormsurge, with the latest in 2007 with Tropical Storm Erin.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
9/18
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Category 5 Exposure: $6,222,639,650.00
Hurricane Probability: Medium
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 8,164 $1,407,824,200.00
Category 2 17,781 $2,580,757,000.00
Category 3 32,330 $4,104,630,050.00
Category 4 44,188 $5,388,003,550.00
Category 5 52,278 $6,222,639,650.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
MYRTLE BEACH 29578 1,155 $88,018,810.00
LONGS 29568 1,713 $152,820,800.00
LITTLE RIVER 29566 2,709 $318,947,100.00
MYRTLE BEACH 29579 3,220 $346,273,000.00
MYRTLE BEACH 29575 5,684 $615,737,100.00
MURRELLS INLET 29576 6,187 $747,922,240.00
MYRTLE BEACH 29572 4,431 $795,999,700.00
MYRTLE BEACH 29588 8,845 $845,299,400.00
MYRTLE BEACH 29577 8,218 $918,666,300.00
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH 29582 7,561 $1,161,409,800.00
MyrtleBeach,
SouthCarolina
14
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting Myrtle Beach,South Carolina.
View of storm-surgeimpact on the Black Riverand Intercoastal waterwayas it moves up WiynahBay. A direct hit Category5 hurricane would causecatastrophic inland ooding.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impacton North Myrtle Beach,South Carolina 29582,which would see $1.1Bin exposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane storm surge hitting the MyrtleBeach area would expose over $6B worth of residencesand inundate over 52,000 properties.
Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it couldcause Myrtle Beach residents total property damage ofover $1.4B, affecting over 8,100 homes. Residential areasthat would be most hit by a hurricane would be the NorthMyrtle Beach, downtown Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inletareas.
In 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall as a Category 4hurricane near Calabash, North Carolina, close to theNorth Carolina/South Carolina state border, halfwaybetween Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington,North Carolina. At landfall, the hurricane brought a stormsurge of over 18 ft to a large area of coastline, producing
severe coastal damage. The highest storm surge wasrecorded at Calabash, coincidentally arriving at the highestlunar tide of the year. About 80 percent of waterfront
dwellings in Myrtle Beach were destroyed andas aresult of the high storm surgethe low-lying sandy barrierislands were completely ooded. In 1989, Hurricane Hugohit the South Carolina coastline. Much of the destructionin the Myrtle Beach area was from a 12 to 14 foot stormsurge in the area. Many beach-front homes built in theseareas were destroyed.
The last hurricane to hit South Carolina was in 2004.Hurricane Charley made multiple landfalls in Florida beforemaking a nal landfall as a hurricane in northeasternSouth Carolina. Charley produced a storm tide that wasunofcially measured to up to 7.19 ft in Myrtle Beach.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
10/18
Wilmington, North Carolina
Category 5 Exposure: $8,215,890,025.00
Hurricane Probability: Medium
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 6,917 $1,679,266,515.00
Category 2 15,384 $3,353,972,240.00
Category 3 22,277 $4,574,811,417.00
Category 4 30,709 $6,059,845,798.00Category 5 43,282 $8,215,890,025.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
WILMINGTON 28401 972 $90,897,916.00
CASTLE HAYNE 28429 1,808 $176,774,495.00
KURE BEACH 28449 1,759 $287,044,020.00
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH 28480 1,621 $441,666,733.00
CAROLINA BEACH 28428 4,221 $497,198,617.00
WILMINGTON 28403 4,545 $767,053,340.00
WILMINGTON 28405 4,666 $1,090,004,440.00
WILMINGTON 28412 6,539 $1,126,147,190.00
WILMINGTON 28411 6,581 $1,691,960,630.00
WILMINGTON 28409 10,530 $2,043,706,230.00
16
Overhead view of Categories15 storm surge impactingWilmington, North Carolina.
View of storm-surge impacton the Wilmington Airportas storm surge travelsup a tributary to theCape Fear River. A directhit Category 5 hurricanewould cause catastrophicinland ooding.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onWilmington, North Carolina28409, which would see$2B in exposed residentialproperty in the event of aCategory 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane striking the coastline aroundWilmington, North Carolina would expose over $8B worthof residences, and would inundate over 43,000 properties
in the area with storm surge. Even if the hurricane isonly a Category 1 storm, it could cause area residentstotal property damage of over $1.6B, impacting nearly7,000 homes.
In a Category 5 hurricane, the Sea Breeze, Silver Lake,Kirkland and Wilmington areas would be worst hit,sustaining nearly $6B worth of damage.
North Carolina has a dubious history with hurricanes.Between 1996 and 1999, North Carolinas southerncoastline was impacted by more devastating hurricanes
than any other state bordering the Atlantic or Gulf ofMexico. Bertha, Fran, Bonnie and Floyd all made landfallalong the same stretch of coastline, within approximately
45 miles of each other. But the threat of hurricanes hasnot stopped residential development. Hundreds of newhomes and condominiums sit very close to the ocean andmore are being built everyday. The Wilmington area, whilenot directly on the ocean, has a number of streams andrivers, all of which ood during the heavy rainfall and withthe push of storm surge from a tropical cyclone. In 1954,Hazel caused massive destruction along the coastal areasof North Carolina. More recently, Hurricanes Bertha, Fran,Bonnie and Floyd cost billions of dollars in damage. In1999, Floyd produced a storm surge of 9 to 10 feet alongthe southeastern portion of the state.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
11/18
Long Island, New York
Category 4 Exposure: $10,950,192,608.00
Hurricane Probability: Low
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: Medium
Residential Density: Extreme
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 95,456 $3,054,306,140.00
Category 2 182,061 $5,823,436,345.00
Category 3 285,675 $8,444,421,334.00
Category 4 367,773 $10,950,192,608.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 4 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
BROOKLYN 11235 6,290 $240,773,471.00
RIVERHEAD 11901 2,789 $258,560,635.00
WESTHAMPTON 11977 710 $294,710,400.00
EAST QUOGUE 11942 1,300 $367,853,653.00
HAMPTON BAYS 11946 1,932 $535,017,462.00
WATER MILL 11976 906 $641,686,885.00
SHELTER ISLAND 11964 1,093 $658,399,640.00
SAG HARBOR 11963 2,555 $785,490,189.00
WESTHAMPTON BEACH 11978 1,971 $1,021,118,430.00
SOUTHAMPTON 11968 2,661 $1,584,677,790.00
18
Overhead view ofCategories 1 4 stormsurge impactingLong Island, New York.
Although not reviewed inthis report, a view of storm-surge impact on ManhattanIsland shows even aCategory 1 storm couldcause signicant ooding ifit were to hit the city directly.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onSouthampton, New York11968, which would see$1.5B in exposed residentialproperty in the event of aCategory 4 hurricane.
There is a consensus among the scientic community thata Category 5 storm would not be sustainable due to thecooler waters of the Atlantic. A Category 4 storm, however
rare, is possible would generate signicant damage to theLong Island area of New York, if it were to make landfall.The storm surge from a Category 4 hurricane slammingLong Island, which is home to some of New York Stateswealthiest residences, could cause property damage ofmore than $10B to residential properties. Over 369,000properties could be exposed to the resulting storm surge.Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it couldcause Long Islanders total property damage of over $3.1B.
Residential areas that would be worst hit by the stormsurge include the Southampton, Westhampton, SagHarbor, Shelter Island and Water Mill areas of Long Island.Over 9,000 residences could be affected, causing around
$3B worth of damage.
Long Island was hit with a Category 3 hurricane in the
Fall of 1938. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938also known as the Long Island Express Storm had stormsurge along the Long Island coastline between 10 to 12 ftultimately causing $308M in damage at the time. The areawas hit only a few years later by another Category 3 calledthe Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944. This hurricane notonly hit the coastline of Long Island, but moved along toRhode Island and ultimately made landfall as a Category2 in Maine with a total of $100M in damage throughoutthese areas. In 1954, Hurricane Carol hit the coast of LongIsland as a very fast-moving Category 3. The storm surgefrom this hurricane was reported between 8 to 10 ft caus-ing $461M in damage.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
12/18
Jacksonville, Florida
Category 5 Exposure: $16,491,919,613.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: High
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 9,358 $2,273,826,669.00
Category 2 19,057 $4,722,857,374.00
Category 3 49,584 $9,479,807,298.00
Category 4 63,704 $11,129,434,593.00
Category 5 106,698 $16,491,919,613.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
NEPTUNE BEACH 32266 2,274 $464,564,493.00
JACKSONVILLE 32226 4,322 $709,569,154.00
JACKSONVILLE 32208 11,702 $988,282,528.00
JACKSONVILLE 32224 5,371 $1,066,345,000.00
JACKSONVILLE 32205 9,386 $1,249,860,340.00
ATLANTIC BEACH 32233 6,949 $1,251,312,700.00
JACKSONVILLE 32210 6,780 $1,289,115,360.00
JACKSONVILLE 32225 6,721 $1,584,894,920.00
JACKSONVILLE 32218 14,123 $1,734,039,230.00
JACKSONVILLE BEACH 32250 10,302 $2,372,911,520.00
Jacksonville,
Florida
20
Overhead view of stormsurge impacting Jacksonville,Florida, note the surgemoving up the St. Johns Riverfrom a Category 1 storm.
View of storm-surge impacton downtown Jacksonville.A Category 3 storm couldcause signicant oodingif it were to hit thecity directly.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onJacksonville Beach, Florida32250, which would see$2.3B in exposed residentialproperty in the event of aCategory 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane striking the Jacksonville, Floridaarea could cause up to $16.5B worth of damage and wouldaffect over 106,000 properties in the area. Even if the
hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could cause arearesidents total property damage of over $2.3B, affectingover 9,000 homes.
In a Category 5 hurricane, seven different areas wouldsuffer property damage of over $1B, and onetheJacksonville Beach areawould suffer property damageof over $2B.
Jacksonville is one of the few cities on the Eastern coast ofFlorida that has been spared from the wrath of hurricanes.The only recorded hurricane to ever hit the First Coast
directly was Dora, which made landfall on St. Johns Countyon September 10, 1964 as a Category 1 storm. Dora cameashore south of Mayport and her northeast winds sent aneight-foot surge into the St. Johns River.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
13/18
New Orleans, Louisiana
Category 5 Exposure: $17,503,728,621.00
Hurricane Probability: High
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: Extreme
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 85,600 $16,594,423,116.00
Category 2 89,880 $17,264,525,951.00
Category 3 91,156 $17,458,335,387.00
Category 4 91,392 $17,490,904,065.00
Category 5 91,487 $17,503,728,621.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
WESTWEGO 70094 6,921 $752,286,673.00
METAIRIE 70006 4,115 $997,319,413.00
NEW ORLEANS 70123 4,294 $1,161,869,870.00
METAIRIE 70002 4,084 $1,201,230,570.00
GRETNA 70056 9,021 $1,532,512,910.00
HARVEY 70058 10,372 $1,605,963,840.00
METAIRIE 70001 9,225 $2,017,313,360.00
MARRERO 70072 16,219 $2,256,220,360.00
METAIRIE 70003 13,071 $2,337,620,180.00
METAIRIE 70005 7,152 $2,341,710,460.00
New
Orleans,
Louisiana
22
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting the Louisianacoastline.
View of storm-surgeimpact on downtown NewOrleans looking towardsBourbon Street. A directhit Category 2 hurricanewould ood most of thedowntown area in the eventof levee failure.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact inthe Metairie area of NewOrleans, Louisiana 70005,which would see $2.3B inexposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 1 hurricane.
Assumptions for New Orleans differ from other studiesin this report, in that New Orleans real estate is stillrecovering from Hurricane Katrina. Residential valuesreected in this study are total of the land value andstructure value. Additionally, it is assumed in themethodology that the current levee structure in NewOrleans that has been modied by the Army Corps ofEngineers would not remain intact or would be toppedin the event of a catastrophic hurricane event. Futurechanges in the levee structure will be reected in our 2010model, which will also utilize data from a 2009 inspectionby our development team.
A lack of coastal irregularities, such as substantial barrierislands or hills, and the Gulf of Mexicos at bottom makesouthern Louisiana ideal for storm surge. New Orleans sitsmostly below sea level on the east bank of the MississippiRiver and south of Lake Pontchartrain. A Category 5hurricane striking the New Orleans area would inundate$17.5B worth of residences and nearly 85,600 propertieswith storm surge. If levees are topped or fail, as they did inthe case of Hurricane Katrina, the water would be trappedwithin these areas, causing additional damage. Even if thehurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could still innudateover $16.5B worth of property and affect over 91,000 homes.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina battered the area, causing amonstrous $85.6B worth of damage, with New Orleanstaking the brunt of the economic and social damage.
On Sunday, August 28, a day before making landfall,Katrina built up strength in the warm waters of the Gulfof Mexico and achieved Category 5 status with sustainedwinds of about 160 mph as it approached the Gulf Coast.A record 28-foot storm surge was projected for the NewOrleans area. Katrina weakened slightly to a Category 4hurricane as it made landfall early Monday, August 29, butit maintained a storm surge that is only generally foundin Category 5 storms. When the wind speed began togo down, the storm surge did not dissipate, due to thewater momentum established by the storm in the shallowwater. Although the storm surge to the east of the pathof the eye in Mississippi was higher, a very signicantsurge affected the Louisiana coast. Katrinas storm surgeinundated all parishes surrounding Lake Pontchartrain,including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, St. John the Baptistand St. Charles Parishes. St. Tammany Parish received atwo-part storm surge: First, as Lake Pontchartrain rose,the storm blew water from the Gulf of Mexico into thelake. Second, as the eye of Katrina passed, westerlywinds pushed water into a bottleneck at the RigoletsPass, forcing it farther inland. The range of surge levels ineastern St. Tammany Parish is estimated at 13 to 16 feet.Katrinas storm surge led to 53 levee breaches in the leveesystem protecting New Orleans and the failure of theArpent Canal levee. The major levee breaches in the cityincluded the 17th Street Canal levee, the London AvenueCanal, and the wide, navigable Industrial Canal, which leftapproximately 80% of the city ooded.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
14/18
Charleston, South Carolina
Category 5 Exposure: $19,861,932,800.00
Hurricane Probability: Medium
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 39,156 $8,693,466,100.00
Category 2 58,605 $12,830,647,800.00
Category 3 75,427 $15,793,047,500.00
Category 4 89,870 $18,334,039,700.00
Category 5 101,288 $19,861,932,800.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
FOLLY BEACH 29439 1,964 $472,407,600.00
CHARLESTON 29414 7,163 $920,050,200.00
CHARLESTON 29403 5,749 $956,891,600.00
ISLE OF PALMS 29451 4,626 $1,364,205,100.00
CHARLESTON 29407 11,901 $1,543,912,400.00
CHARLESTON 29401 4,078 $1,634,113,700.00
CHARLESTON 29412 14,948 $2,187,838,100.00
MOUNT PLEASANT 29466 10,644 $2,220,709,600.00
JOHNS ISLAND 29455 9,842 $3,471,332,700.00
MOUNT PLEASANT 29464 17,566 $3,600,770,700.00
C
harleston,
SouthCarolina
24
Overhead view ofCategories 15 stormsurge impacting theSouth Carolina coastnear Charleston, S.C.
View of storm-surge impacton downtown Charleston,South Carolina. A directhit Category 4 hurricanewould ood most of thedowntown area.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impacton Mount Pleasant,South Carolina 29464,which would see $3.6Bin exposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane slamming Charleston, which ishome to some of the most historic neighborhoods in theU.S. over 101,000 propertiescould affect a total of
$19.8B worth of residences. Even if the hurricane is only aCategory 1 storm, it could cause area residents totalproperty damage of over $8B. Residential areas that wouldbe worst hit include Mount Pleasant, Johns Island andareas in the picturesque City of Charleston.
Hurricanes are a major threat to the Charleston area. Themost notable hurricane was in 1989. Hurricane Hugo,which also impacted Myrtle Beach, caused severe
destruction in the downtown and suburbs hit Charleston.Storm surge inundated the coastline surroundingCharleston with tides reaching 20 ft in the areas betweenCape Romain and Bulls Bay. It total the damage from theHugo in South Carolina was $4.2B.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
15/18
Houston-Galveston, Texas
Category 5 Exposure: $20,789,224,262.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: Extreme
Residential Density: High
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 18,812 $2,145,723,979.00
Category 2 40,738 $4,171,052,765.00
Category 3 88,600 $8,932,221,592.00
Category 4 149,066 $15,799,998,325.00
Category 5 191,709 $20,789,224,262.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
BAYTOWN 77521 6,212 $640,250,099.00
FRIENDSWOOD 77546 4,137 $851,000,900.00
DICKINSON 77539 11,024 $939,741,244.00
LAKE JACKSON 77566 9,029 $1,050,179,420.00
SEABROOK 77586 7,103 $1,095,838,400.00
LA PORTE 77571 11,321 $1,133,955,260.00
HOUSTON 77062 7,953 $1,145,202,980.00
HOUSTON 77059 5,730 $1,291,697,920.00
GALVESTON 77554 7,246 $1,328,786,180.00
LEAGUE CITY 77573 18,833 $2,662,140,020.00
H
ouston-Galveston,
Texas
26
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting the GalvestonBay area of Texas.
View of storm-surge impacton the Bolivar peninsula,the area most impacted byHurricane Ike. A direct hitCategory 5 hurricane wouldood the whole peninsulaand move 20 miles inland.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onLeague City, Texas 77573,which would see $2.6Bin exposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane slamming the Houston areacould cause property damage of more than $20B toresidential properties and over 192,000 properties could
be inundated with storm surge.
Residential areas that would be worst hit include LeagueCity, Galveston, parts of Houston and La Porte.In 2008, Hurricane Ike, the third costliest hurricane ever tomake landfall in the U.S., cost residents of the Galvestonarea billions of dollars in property damage, wiping someof the coastal properties away. Ike made landfall as aCategory 2 hurricane, but had a report storm surge of aCategory 5 overtopping the 17 ft seawall on Galveston
Island. Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, itcould cause area residents total property damage of over$2.1B.
Prior to Ike, the Houston-Galveston area has had a longhistory with major hurricanes. In 1900, Galveston was hitwith the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.A Category 4 hurricane, the storm surge inundated theentire island with 8 to 15 ft tides. At the time, the damagewas estimated to be over $30M. In 1983, Hurricane Aliciastruck Galveston and Houston directly initially makinglandfall on the western end of Galveston Island as aCategory 3 causing $2B in damage.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
16/18
Tampa, Florida
Category 5 Exposure: $32,996,673,915.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: High
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 50,294 $9,410,934,262.00
Category 2 86,414 $14,679,313,929.00
Category 3 146,110 $21,796,383,991.00
Category 4 199,205 $27,961,806,345.00
Category 5 244,016 $32,996,673,915.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
SAINT PETERSBURG 33702 7,613 $835,990,300.00
SAINT PETERSBURG 33706 5,431 $947,845,180.00
SAINT PETERSBURG 33703 8,495 $1,026,758,830.00
TAMPA 33611 9,406 $1,154,674,630.00
TARPON SPRINGS 34689 8,552 $1,174,396,700.00
TAMPA 33626 6,540 $1,176,455,190.00
OLDSMAR 34677 7,096 $1,185,175,800.00
TAMPA 33615 11,660 $1,208,674,970.00
PALM HARBOR 34685 5,087 $1,265,822,800.00
TAMPA 33629 8,271 $1,449,129,090.00
Tampa,
Florida
28
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting the Tampa,Florida area.
View of storm-surgeimpact on downtownTampa, Florida. A directhit Category 5 hurricanewould ood most of thedowntown area.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impacton Tampa, Florida 33629,which would see $1.4Bin exposed residentialproperty in the event ofa Category 5 hurricane.
A Category 5 hurricane striking the Tampa shoreline of theGulf of Mexico could cause nearly $33B worth of propertydamage and inundate nearly 244,000 properties with storm
surge. Eight areas would suffer property damage of over$1B.
Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it couldcause area residents total property damage of over $9.4B,affecting over 50,000 homes. Residential areas that wouldbe most hit by a hurricane would be several areas ofTampa, Palm Harbor and Oldsmar, although other areaswould also be heavily impacted.
The rst hurricane to make landfall directly in Tampa wasin 1921. Known as the Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921, the
Category 2 hurricane brought storm surge of 10 to 12 ftcausing $10B in property damage at the time.
Tampa was also impacted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 asit crossed the southern peninsula of Florida. It hammeredthe Tampa/Miami area of Florida, causing $43.7B worthof damage, one of the most destructive United Stateshurricanes on record.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
17/18
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Category 5 Exposure: $39,459,092,708.00
Hurricane Probability: Medium
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Medium
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 39,175 $7,432,137,736
Category 2 118,990 $19,295,071,128
Category 3 179,125 $28,429,989,160
Category 4 235,949 $37,022,371,198
Category 5 250,254 $39,459,092,708
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
VIRGINIA BEACH 23451 7999 $1,544,342,600.00
VIRGINIA BEACH 23462 13,840 $1,596,765,870.00
CHESAPEAKE 23323 10,543 $1,620,218,800.00
CHESAPEAKE 23321 11,090 $1,922,660,100.00
VIRGINIA BEACH 23452 17,227 $2,373,545,070.00
VIRGINIA BEACH 23454 13,948 $2,399,949,230.00
CHESAPEAKE 23320 14,208 $2,660,677,300.00
VIRGINIA BEACH 23464 19,220 $2,851,125,600.00
CHESAPEAKE 23322 15,177 $2,968,556,100.00
VIRGINIA BEACH 23456 16,084 $3,401,492,180.00
VirginiaBeach,
Virginia
30
Overhead view ofCategories 15 storm surgeimpacting the Virginiacoastline.
View of storm-surge impacton the Chickahominy River in
Virginia, demonstrating howfar inland a direct hit Category1 hurricane would go.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impacton Virginia Beach, Virginia23456, which wouldsee $3.4B in exposedresidential property inthe event of a Category 5hurricane.
VVirginia Beach sits on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouthof the Chesapeake Bay, which is the largest estuary in theU.S., covering more than 64,000 square miles and spanning
across several states. The Hampton Roads MetropolitanStatistical Area (ofcially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA) is the 34th largest inthe U.S., with a total population of 1,576,370 according tothe U.S. Census.
A Category 5 hurricane striking the Virginia Beach areacould cause over $39B worth of residential damage and
would affect over 250,000 properties in the area. Evenif the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could stillcause area residents total property damage of over $7.4B,
impacting nearly 39,000 homes.
Virginia has not been seriously hit since Hurricane Floydin 1999. The hurricane had storm surge between 9 to 10 ftwith total damage of $3040M caused by ood damagefrom rain, surge and hurricane-spawned tornados.
8/9/2019 2010 Storm Surge Report -- 1st American, April-2010
18/18
Miami-Dade, Florida
Category 5 Exposure: $53,633,764,539.00
Hurricane Probability: Extreme
Storm-Surge Vulnerability: High
Residential Density: Extreme
Residential Exposure by Storm Category
Category Total Properties Affected Total Residential Structure Value
Category 1 55,368 $19,796,055,135.00
Category 2 83,490 $25,180,236,289.00
Category 3 154,549 $35,669,062,572.00
Category 4 186,427 $42,670,083,295.00
Category 5 254,864 $53,633,764,539.00
Top 10 ZIP Codes Affected by Category 5 Storm
Area Name ZIP Properties Affected Residential Structure Value
MIAMI BEACH 33140 2,696 $1,281,211,840.00
FORT LAUDERDALE 33301 2,654 $1,320,390,490.00
MIAMI 33176 8,340 $1,403,702,650.00
FORT LAUDERDALE 33308 5,099 $1,570,533,290.00
JUPITER 33477 3,100 $1,604,909,460.00
JUPITER 33458 9,374 $2,031,694,800.00
PALM BEACH GARDENS 33410 7,630 $2,179,529,180.00
MIAMI 33157 16,617 $2,473,332,340.00
MIAMI 33156 6,982 $2,534,740,770.00
PALM BEACH 33480 2,403 $2,717,475,720.00
Miami-Dade,
Florida
32
Overhead view of Categories15 storm surge impacting theMiami-Dade County area ofFlorida.
View of storm-surge impacton downtown Miami, Florida.A direct hit Category 5hurricane would ood mostof the downtown area.
View of residential parceland storm-surge impact onPalm Beach, Florida 33480,which would see $2.7Bin exposed residentialproperty in the event of aCategory 5 hurricane.
If a Category 5 hurricane hits Miami, the cost to propertycould be well over $50B, and would affect over 254,000properties in the area. Even if the hurricane is only a
Category 1 storm, it could cause area residents totalproperty damage of over $20B, impacting over 55,000homes.
In a Category 5 hurricane, the Palm Beach, Miami, PalmBeach Gardens and Jupiter areas would be worst hit,sustaining well over $12B worth of damage.The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 hit downtown MiamiBeach and downtown Miami as a Category 4. Stormsurge from the storm was reported up to 15 ft. With every
building in the downtown district damage or destroyed,property loss at the time was estimated at $100M.
Miami is an area normally associated with severe hurricaneseasons, although it has avoided a heavy one sinceHurricane Andrew in 1992, which cost $26.5B worth ofdamage in the area due to 17 ft storm surge and heavywinds.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category1 on the border on Broward and Miami-Dade countiesbefore heading into the Gulf Coast and hitting Louisiana.Storm surge along Florida was 3 to 5 ft with propertydamage running between $1 and $2B.