This is not the article we originally envisioned writing when the editors and publisher of Claims convened for our editorial calendar planning session six months ago. At the time, even though very little hurricane activity had occurred, September and October still loomed before us and threatened to produce another devastating, late-season storm along the likes of Katrina, Wilma, or Ivan in prior years. Given the activity in 2004 and 2005, it was almost an afterthought to include a restoration report that analyzed the impact and aftermath of the 2006 storm season, which officially ended, as it does every year, on Dec. 1.

But then nothing happened.

Well nothing isn't entirely correct. There was extensive hurricane activity and, from a prediction standpoint, it came close to meeting the expectations of forecasters and meteorologists. Nine storms formed in the Atlantic in 2006, five reached hurricane status, and two — Gordon and Helene — became major storms of Category 3-strength or higher. (Most experts predicted nine hurricanes, with five becoming Category 3 or higher.) All could have had a devastating effect on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, but fortunately for insurers, homeowners, and commercial developments, none of the nine made a significant landfall in the U.S. Instead, most blustered themselves out in the middle of the Atlantic, ensuring that no names were added to the list of retired hurricane names, a tradition reserved for only the most destructive storms.