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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.