With Hurricane Season Around the Corner, ISO Can Assist in Your Catastrophe Coverage with Claim- and Property-Loss Information

January 1, 2011 / 3 min read

JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 1, 2001 — Today is officially the first day of the hurricane season, which peaks between August and November.

Hurricanes in the coming months will expose tens of millions of people living along the coastal regions of Florida, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Long Island (N. Y.), and New England to the punishing prospect of potentially devastating property losses.

Forecasts in 2001 are for eight to 11 tropical storms, five to seven of which could become hurricanes — and two or three of those could be extremely severe, reaching sustained windspeeds of at least 110 miles an hour. Potential Atlantic hurricanes sport names such as Arlene and Bret, Katrina and Lenny, Ophelia and Philippe, and Vince and Wilma.

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 catastrophes, losses and claims data by time period and state.

The fact sheet below is compiled from information in ISO's Property Claim Services (PCS) database — the most comprehensive database in the property/casualty industry on property losses from U.S. weather-related disasters. The fact sheet 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 for your breaking hurricane news coverage. Experts in ISO's PCS unit also can provide analyses of catastrophe losses of special interest to you.

ISO is a leading source of information, products and services related to property and liability risk. For a broad spectrum of commercial and personal lines of insurance, ISO provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting and claims information and analyses; consulting and technical services; policy language; and information about specific locations.

INSURANCE SERVICES OFFICE, INC. PROPERTY CLAIM SERVICES

HURRICANE FACT SHEET

Hurricane Losses by Year (1991-2000): Number of Hurricane Catastrophes and Estimated Insured Losses (adjusted to 2000 dollars)

2000 - 0	$ 0
1999 - 5	$ 2.4 billion
1998 - 2	$ 3.5 billion
1997 - 1	$ 64 million
1996 - 4	$ 2.1 billion
1995 - 3	$ 3.8 billion
1994 - 0	$ 0
1993 - 1	$ 35.8 million
1992 - 2	$ 21.0 billion
1991 - 1	$ 783.8 million

Ten Costliest Hurricanes and Estimated Insured Loss
(adjusted to 2000 dollars):

Hurricane Andrew - August 1992	$19.0 billion
Hurricane Hugo - September 1989	$ 5.8 billion
Hurricane Georges - September 1998	$ 3.1 billion
Hurricane Betsy - September 1965	$ 2.8 billion
Hurricane Opal - October 1995	$ 2.4 billion
Hurricane Floyd - September 1999	$ 2.0 billion
Hurricane Iniki - September 1992	$ 2.0 billion
Hurricane Frederic - September 1979	$ 1.8 billion
Hurricane Fran - September 1996	$ 1.7 billion
Hurricane Celia - August 1970	$ 1.4 billion

Ten Most Intense Hurricanes, Categories 5 and 4, 1900-2000
(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 (1991-2000):
Number of Catastrophes and Estimated Insured Loss
(adjusted to 2000 dollars) **

2000 - 24	$ 4.3 billion
1999 - 27	$ 8.6 billion
1998 - 37	$10.6 billion
1997 - 25	$ 2.8 billion
1996 - 41	$ 8.0 billion
1995 - 34	$ 9.4 billion
1994 - 38	$19.6 billion
1993 - 36	$ 6.6 billion
1992 - 36	$28.1 billion
1991 - 36	$ 5.9 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