Early insured loss estimates for Hurricane Michael are in
Packing 155 mph wind gusts, Hurricane Michael left many coastal communities in ruins.
Historic Hurricane Michael tore through the Florida Panhandle Wednesday, leaving at least 11 people dead and 350,000 without power as it flattened many coastal communities. Early insured loss estimates from Karen Clark & Co. (KCC) price Hurricane Michael at $8 billion for insurance companies.
That figure includes wind and storm surge damage to homes, cars and industrial and commercial properties covered by private insurers, the company said in a report. KCC estimates that about half of those losses occurred in Bay and Gulf counties. The figure doesn’t factor in losses backed by the National Flood Insurance Program.
Most of the damage from Cat-4 Michael came from extraordinary strong wind gusts and high storm surge.
Michael made landfall with near-Cat 5 intensity, packing maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. The storm surge depths ranged from 9 to 14 feet along the most impacted area of the cost, KCC said. Storm surge caused $3.7 billion in total damages and about 10% of that figure is insured.
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