As Hurricane Season Nears, Insurance Services Office Can Assist Your Catastrophe Coverage With Claims and Property Loss Information

January 1, 2011 / 3 min read

NEW YORK, May 30, 2000 — The hurricane season in the United States starts June 1 and peaks between August and November.

Tens of millions of people living along the coastal regions of Florida, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Long Island (N. Y.), and New England face the prospect of potentially devastating hurricanes in the coming months.

Weather experts forecast 11 tropical storms, seven of which may be hurricanes — and three of those seven could be very severe. Potential Atlantic hurricanes sport names such as Alberto and Beryl, Debby and Ernesto, Michael and Nadine, and Valerie and William.

Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) can assist you in your coverage of hurricanes and other catastrophes with information on dollar amounts of insured-property losses and number of claims filed with insurers — including a comparison of past storms, losses and claims data by date, quarter and state.

The attached two-page fact sheet is compiled from data in ISO's Property Claim Services (PCS) database — the most comprehensive database in the property/casualty industry on property losses from weather-related disasters. It highlights some of the more significant information on past catastrophes, including hurricanes, and dollar value of property damage that may be useful to you as background. Experts in ISO's PCS unit also can provide analyses of catastrophe losses of special interest to you.

ISO serves property/liability insurers with statistical, actuarial, underwriting and claims information and analyses; consulting and technical services; and information about specific locations.

INSURANCE SERVICES OFFICE, INC.
PROPERTY CLAIM SERVICES

HURRICANE FACT SHEET

Hurricane Losses by Year (1990-99):
Number of Hurricane Catastrophes and Estimated
Insured Losses (adjusted to 1999 dollars)

1999 — 5,	$2.3 billion
1998 — 2,	$3.4 billion
1997 — 1,	$62 million
1996 — 4,	$2.0 billion
1995 — 3,	$3.7 billion
1994 — 0
1993 — 1,	$35 million
1992 — 2,	$20.3 billion
1991 — 1,	$758 million
1990 — 0

Ten Costliest Hurricanes and Estimated Insured Loss
(adjusted to 1999 dollars):

Hurricane Andrew - August 1992	$18.4 billion
Hurricane Hugo - September 1989	$ 5.6 billion
Hurricane Georges - September 1998	$ 3.0 billion
Hurricane Betsy - September 1965	$ 2.7 billion
Hurricane Opal - October 1995	$ 2.3 billion
Hurricane Floyd - September 1999	$ 2.0 billion
Hurricane Iniki - September 1992	$ 1.9 billion
Hurricane Frederic - September 1979	$ 1.7 billion
Hurricane Fran - September 1996	$ 1.7 billion
Hurricane Celia - August 1970	$ 1.3 billion

Ten Most Intense Hurricanes, Categories 5 and 4, 1900-1999
(measured by Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Disaster-Potential Scale): ***

Florida (Keys) - 1935	Category 5
Camille - 1969	Category 5
Andrew - 1992	Category 4
Florida (Keys)/So. Texas - 1919	Category 4
Florida - 1928	Category 4
Donna - 1960	Category 4
Texas (Galveston) - 1900	Category 4
Louisiana (Grand Isle) - 1909	Category 4
Louisiana (New Orleans) - 1915	Category 4
Carla - 1961	Category 4

*** Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Disaster-Potential Scale classifies hurricanes on their intensity and damage potential under five categories, with Categories 5, 4 and 3 being the most destructive. The scale does not measure insured property losses.

Catastrophes by Year (1989-99):
Number of Catastrophes and Estimated Insured Loss
(adjusted to 1999 dollars) ***

1999	27, $ 8.3 billion
1998	37, $10.3 billion
1997	25, $ 2.7 billion
1996	41, $ 7.8 billion
1995	34, $ 9.1 billion
1994	38, $19.0 billion
1993	36, $ 6.4 billion
1992	36, $27.2 billion
1991	36, $ 5.7 billion
1990	32, $ 3.4 billion

*** To insurers, a catastrophe is a single incident, or series of related incidents — wind, hail, tornadoes, flooding, wildfire, earthquakes, and other natural disasters — that cause insured property losses totaling at least $25 million and affect a significant number of policyholders and insurers.

Release: Immediate

Contacts:
Giuseppe Barone / Erica Helton
MWW Group (for ISO)
201-507-9500
gbarone@mww.com / ehelton@mww.com