Tampa, FL Among The US Cities Most Vulnerable To Costly Hurricane Damage

Tampa FL

23 October, 2021

12:59 PM

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By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. - Tampa 2021-10-23 So far, 2021 has been a historic year for natural disasters in the United States. There were a record 18 weather and climate disasters costing more than $1 billion each in the first nine months of 2021, according to a report from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Wildfires, severe storms, tornadoes, and extreme temperatures resulted in 538 deaths and $104.8 billion in damage nationwide from January through September — eclipsing totals from all of 2020. Going forward, climate change will likely only continue to contribute to the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, including hurricanes — the deadliest and most destructive classification of natural disaster threatening the United States. Over the past two decades, hurricanes have killed an average of over 300 Americans per year and resulted in overall damage totalling nearly $1 trillion. According to a recent report from CoreLogic — a property information, analytics, and data provider — nearly 8 million single-family homes are at risk of storm surge damage from hurricanes, and over 31 million homes are at risk of damage from hurricane winds nationwide. These risks are disproportionately shouldered by metropolitan areas along the Eastern Seaboard and along the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa is one of the most populous cities in Florida. Located on Tampa Bay near the Gulf of Mexico, the metro area has over half a million homes — with total reconstruction costs topping $100 billion — at risk of storm surge damage in the event of a hurricane. Additionally, more than 1.1 million metro area homes are at risk of hurricane wind damage. In 2004, southwestern Florida was slammed by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm. Unexpectedly, the worst of the storm narrowly missed Tampa but still resulted in evacuation orders. Though mild wind and rainfall hit Tampa, the communities of Captiva Island, Cayo Costa, and Port Charlotte to the south were devastated. The storm claimed nine lives in Florida and caused $17 billion in damage. All data on the number of at-risk homes and reconstruction cost value is from CoreLogic's 2021 Hurricane Report. Metropolitan areas are ranked on the number of single-family residential structures less than four stories at moderate or greater risk of damage from storm surge flooding in the 2021 hurricane season.     Can't see the article's infographic? Click here to view the original story.This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.