Endangered Coastline: Northeast Prepares for Latest Storms

It’s been nearly 20 years since hurricane Bob wreaked havoc along the eastern seaboard of the United States, but as hurricane Earl bounces up the coastline from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Cape Cod in New England, insurers are bracing for a big event.

Bill Sinn, strategic industry director in the insurance practice for Pitney Bowes Business Insight, points out Florida and the Gulf states have had more than their share of damaging storms throughout history, but people seem to forget that the eastern seaboard has also been prone to damaging hurricanes.

“You have to go back to 1991 and hurricane Bob, which was the last storm to threaten such a broad swath of the U.S. coastline,” says Sinn. “Nineteen years may have passed, but many forecasters think a storm like hurricane Bob is long overdue for the northeastern part of the country.”