New Yorkers face the greatest risk from hurricane damages this year

The growing climate change crisis puts more Americans at risk of losing their homes from hurricanes and other natural disasters. This year, the extreme hurricane season could damage tens of millions of American homes, mostly in New York, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. 

More than 20 named storms and up to 10 hurricanes, including 3-6 major ones, are expected to hit the country in 2022, according to the annual CoreLogic report, which uses data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In total, this hurricane season, which starts in June and ends in November, will impact 40 million homes across the United States and cause $13 trillion in damage. 

CoreLogic warns communities, especially those in densely-populated areas, “to be prepared for when disaster strikes”. “While we can’t control the occurrence of natural disasters like hurricanes, we can prepare for them. Understanding the risk to help accelerate recovery is the key to resilience,” the property data service said. 

New Yorkers face the greatest risk of hurricane destruction. Nearly 900,000 homes in the NYC metropolitan area are at risk of storm surge damage. Their reconstruction will cost more than $432 billion. High winds could damage four million homes, and they will need $2.2 trillion to rebuild. 

The 2022 Hurricane Report covers single-family homes, including mobile homes, duplexes, and other non-traditional home types, and multi-family homes, such as condos, apartments, and multi-unit dwellings. Lower-level residential units and apartments located on the first two floors face the highest risk of storm surge flood damage, whereas homes located above the second floor are least likely to be affected. 

Resources:

“4 Things to Know About the 2022 Hurricane Season,” (CoreLogic, 2022)

“Some 40 million US homes at risk from extreme 2022 weather,” by Rachel Herzog (The Real Deal, 2022)

“7.8 Million U.S. Homes at Risk of Hurricane Destruction in 2022,” by  Michael Gerrity (The World Property Journal, 2022)