Hurricane-driven storm-surge inundation is one of the mostdisastrous natural flooding events that can occur. With billions ofdollars in property damage and countless lives lost to storm surge,the U.S. in recent years has seen more than its fair share ofdestruction produced by these natural catastrophes.

CoreLogic examined the exposure of single residentialstructures (homes) to storm surge within 10 predefined geographicareas in the U.S. The figures used reflect current structure valueand do not consider replacement costs, contents, auto, life, andbusiness interruption.

Follow along as we look at the Category 5 exposure, hurricaneprobability, storm-surge vulnerability, and residential density for10 at-risk coastal cities and areas.

#10: MOBILE-GULFSHORES, ALA.

A Category 5 hurricane strike the Alabama shoreline of the Gulfof Mexico would expose over $3 billion worth of residences to stormsurge, affecting more than 31,000 properties. Even if the hurricaneis only a Category 1, it could cause residents total propertydamage of more than $250 million, affecting more than 2,100homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$3,037,177,310

Hurricane Probability:High

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:Medium

#9: Corpus Christi, Texas

A Category 5 hurricane hitting the Corpus Christi area wouldexpose nearly $4.7 billion worth of residential property, affectinga total of 44,000 properties. Even if the hurricane is only aCategory 1 storm, it could cause Corpus Christi residents totalproperty damage of more than $593 million, affecting over 6,100homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$4,686,866,645

Hurricane Probability:Extreme

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:Medium

#8: Charleston, SouthCarolina

A Category 5 hurricane slamming Charleston, which is hometo some of the most historic neighborhoods in the U.S. (more than81,000 properties), could affect a total of $17.7 billion worth ofresidences. Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, itcould cause area residents total property damage of over $8billion.

Total Category 5 Exposure:$17,743,046,566

Hurricane Probability:Medium

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:Medium

#7: Jacksonville,Florida

A Category 5 hurricane striking the Jacksonville, Fla.-areacould cause up to $19.6 billion worth of damage and would affectmore than 135,000 properties in the area. Even if the hurricane isonly a Category 1 storm, it could cause area residents totalproperty damage of more than $3.5 billion, affecting more than16,000 homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$19,612,946,046

Hurricane Probability:Extreme

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:High

#6: Houston,Texas

A Category 5 hurricane slamming the Houston area could causeproperty damage of more than $20 billion to residential propertiesand nearly 180,000 properties could be inundated with storm surge.Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could causearea residents total property damage of more than $1.9 billion.

Category 5 Exposure:$20,226,317,003

Hurricane Probability:Extreme

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:Extreme

Residential Density:High

#5: Tampa,Florida

A Category 5 hurricane striking the Tampa shoreline of the Gulfof Mexico could cause more than $27 billion worth of propertydamage and inundate more than 277,000 properties with storm surge.Even if the hurricane is only a Category 1 storm, it could causearea residents total property damage of more than $8 billion,affecting nearly 64,000 homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$27,506,921,999

Hurricane Probability:Extreme

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:High

#4: New Orleans,Louisiana

Six years after Katrina pushed a massive surge that overtoppedlevees and floodwalls in the greater New Orleans area, the ArmyCorps of Engineers has completed raising the area levees,rebuilding flood walls, and creating a massive Lake Borgne SurgeBarrier. The Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System isdesigned to provide a 100-year level of protection for, andessentially to withstand, a surge created by a Category 1 toCategory 3 hurricane. As a result of these changes, a significantnumber of properties previously in a storm-surge zone will now beout of the extreme- and high-risk zones.

A lack of coastal irregularities such as substantial barrierislands or hills, and the Gulf of Mexico's flat bottom makesouthern Louisiana especially susceptible to storm surge. NewOrleans sits mostly below sea level on the east bank of theMississippi River and south of Lake Pontchartrain. A Category 5hurricane striking the New Orleans area would inundate nearly $39billion worth of residences and more than 278,000 properties withstorm surge. If levees are topped or fail, as they did in the caseof Hurricane Katrina, the water would be trapped within theseareas, causing additional damage. Even if the hurricane is only aCategory 1 storm, it could still inundate more than $26 billionworth of property and affect more than 196,000 homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$38,863,232,202

Hurricane Probability:High

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:Extreme

Residential Density:Medium

#3: Virginia Beach,Virginia

Virginia Beach sits on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of theChesapeake Bay, which is the largest estuary in the U.S., coveringmore than 64,000 square miles and spanning across several states.The Hampton Roads Core Based Statistical Area (officially known asthe Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC CBSA) is the 36thlargest in the U.S., with a total population of 1,671,683,according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

A Category 5 hurricane striking the Virginia Beach area couldcause nearly $45 billion worth of residential damage and wouldaffect almost 289,000 properties in the area. Even if the hurricaneis only a Category 1 storm, it could still cause area residentstotal property damage of close to $10 billion, impacting more than59,000 homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$44,614,891,132

Hurricane Probability:Medium

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:High

#2: Miami-Dade/PalmBeach, Florida

The Miami to Palm Beach area is uniquely situated to be impactedfrom hurricanes traveling from three different directions. Thesewould include a direct hit from the Atlantic Ocean, an indirect hitfrom a Gulf hurricane passing over the Florida Peninsula and, inthe worst scenario, a coast parallel hurricane moving up the coast,directly impacting the entire metro region.

If a Category 5 hurricane hits the greater Miami area, the costto property could be nearly $45 billion and would affect almost247,000 properties in the area. Even if the hurricane is only aCategory 1 storm, it could cause area residents total propertydamage of more than $15.8 billion, impacting nearly 52,000homes.

Category 5 Exposure:$44,916,737,587

Hurricane Probability:Extreme

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:High

Residential Density:Extreme

#1: Long Island, NewYork

There is a consensus among the scientific community that aCategory 5 storm would not be sustainable off the coast of New Yorkdue to the cooler waters of the Atlantic. A Category 4 storm,however rare, is possible and would generate significant damage tothe Long Island-area of New York if it made landfall.

The storm surge from a Category 4 hurricane slamming LongIsland, which is home to some of New York State's wealthiestresidences, could cause property damage of nearly $100 billion toresidential properties. More than 250,000 properties could beexposed to the resulting storm surge. Even if the hurricane is onlya Category 1 storm, it could cause Long Islanders total propertydamage of over $32.1B impacting nearly 74,000 residentialproperties.

Category 4 Exposure:$99,091,056,059

Hurricane Probability:Low

Storm-Surge Vulnerability:Medium

Residential Density:Extreme

Return to theBeginning