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Florence May Be One of the Top-10 Most Expensive U.S. Hurricanes

The top 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes include Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, Florence may be one of the Top-10.

Florence May Be One of the Top-10 Most Expensive U.S. Hurricanes
Two ships sit grounded on a breakwater as a collapsed crane lies on the dock. (Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Florence, a Category 4 hurricane now threatening the Carolinas, could cause as much as $27 billion in damages, making it the ninth most-expensive storm to hit the U.S.

The top 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes include Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, Harvey, which struck Houston in 2017 and Maria in Puerto Rico, also in 2017.

In 2017 alone, there were 16 billion-dollar weather events in the U.S., costing a cumulative $306.2 billion, breaking the previous record of $214.8 billion in 2005. Here’s a list of the top 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes adjusted for inflation, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The Top 10:
  • Katrina (Fla., La., Miss.), 2005: $160 billion
  • Harvey (Texas, La.), 2017: $125 billion
  • Maria (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands), 2017: $90 billion
  • Sandy (Mid-Atlantic, New England), 2012: $70.2 billion
  • Irma (Fla.), 2017: $50 billion
  • Andrew (Fla., La.), 1992: $47.8 billion
  • Ike (Texas, La.), 2008: $34.8 billion
  • Ivan (Ala., Fla.), 2004: $27.1 billion
  • Wilma (Fla.), 2005: $24.3 billion
  • Rita (La., Texas), 2005: $23.7 billion

To contact the reporter on this story: Jim Efstathiou Jr. in New York at jefstathiou@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Ryan at jryan173@bloomberg.net, Reg Gale, Tina Davis

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