We’ve been hearing a LOT about Storm Surge and the devastating impact of surge for both Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
While we won’t know the damages from either hurricane for awhile (although the damages of both storms are estimated in the tens of billions), we can help to answer one question – how can communities, insurers, and individuals be better prepared for the risk from storm surge?
The key step is to be aware. Knowing the risk of storm surge for a specific property – and mitigating those risks while the weather is good – can go a long way to making sure your property minimizes storm surge damages.
Storm surge models have improved drastically over the last several years, as topographical maps and satellite imagery have improved. Our SurgeMax model is one of the newest, most powerful surge score models available and offers very low-level resolution – down to 100 feet.
We looked at data for the last major storm surge impact in Florida – Hurricane Matthew. Here’s what SurgeMax showed for one of our actuaries –
SurgeMax not only accurately classified storm surge claims for Florida, it was the single most powerful variable available to the carrier for predicting the risk from storm surge. While every storm is different, SurgeMax offers unprecedented insight for insurers and municipalities to properly assess their risk.
At HazardHub, we’re constantly working to provide the best, most accurate risk assessment tools available. If you’re an insurer (or a self-insured business) that would like to know your danger from storm surge, please visit us at by clicking here. We’ll code your files with our data and let you prove the value for yourself.
PS – Many thanks to Steve Kolk for his expert analysis!
