Official Updated the estimated cost to the insurance sector of Hurricane Debby….
Based on its high-resolution reference model, Karen Clark & Company (KCC) has calculated that the US private insurance losses from Hurricane Debby will total roughly $1.4 billion.
The anticipated damages are broken down as follows: $440 million from inland flooding, $130 million from storm surge, and $845 million from wind damage.
The estimate includes business interruption, autos, and damage to residential, commercial, and industrial premises that is not covered by private insurance. It does not, however, include losses pertaining to vessels, offshore real estate, or properties protected by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
On August 5, Hurricane Debby made landfall for the first time in Florida’s Big Bend region, with gusts reaching 80 mph as a Category 1 hurricane. On August 8, it reached shore again as a tropical storm with 50mph winds in South Carolina
Florida, and in some areas of Georgia and the Carolinas, totals above 14 inches.
Weak upper-level winds caused by an upper-level ridge over the western US made Debby travel slowly across the southeastern US. As the storm passed off the coast of South Carolina, its route became unpredictable due to the absence of steering currents.
Continue reading: Florida insurance companies provide Hurricane Debby damage estimates
After Hermine in 2016 and Idalia in 2023, Hurricane Debby is the third storm to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region in the last ten years. Strong gusts, storm surge, and inland floods caused extensive damage as the storm moved slowly across the eastern US.
The initial landfall in a sparsely populated area of Florida, followed by a rapid weakening of the storm after moving inland, helped limit the extent of wind-related damage. Storm surge reached six feet in Cedar Key, Florida, and four feet in parts of Tampa Bay.
Coastal flooding also occurred in Crystal River and Horseshoe Beach, though it was less extensive than last year’s Hurricane Idalia, causing only minor damage. The second landfall in South Carolina resulted in storm surge of one to two feet.
Debby’s slow forward motion allowed it to deliver significant rainfall, leading to widespread inland flooding along the east coast. Rainfall totals exceeded a foot in some areas of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. As the storm continued northward, several inches of rain were recorded from Virginia to Maine.
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