Hurricane Delta claims up to $3bn - AIR

Industry insured losses to onshore property resulting from Hurricane Delta’s winds and storm surge will range from $1 billion to $3 billion, according to AIR Worldwide.

Hurricane Delta made landfall on 9 October near Creole, Louisiana, as a Category 2 storm with sustained wind speeds of 100mph and a central pressure of 970mb. Delta brought strong winds and storm surge to coastal communities, mainly in southwestern and south-central Louisiana. The southwestern corner of Louisiana was also hit with heavy rainfall, up to 17 inches in some places.

Hurricanes Laura and Delta made landfall roughly 12 miles and six weeks apart. Strong winds from these storms impacted areas in common, including mainly the coastal area of Cameron Parish and Lake Charles and environs, although Delta’s maximum winds were significantly weaker than Laura’s. AIR’s modelling approach assumes independence between these events, which is reflected in the published loss range. Given that the two events affected the same area within a relatively short period of time, however, there are several aspects worth noting.

Before Delta made landfall, aerial imagery showed that many structures in these areas had blue tarps on their roofs; after Delta many of these structures still had blue tarps on their roofs. On the one hand, wind-driven rain and wind-borne debris impacts following Delta could have exacerbated the damage caused by Laura to these properties. Furthermore, structures that may have been weakened by Laura’s winds may have been further damaged by Delta, despite its moderate winds. On the other hand, it could be posited that structures that had the potential to be damaged were already damaged by the relatively-stronger Hurricane Laura, and therefore, not much was left to be damaged by Delta.

It is important to note that two hurricanes impacting the same area within a short period of time is not a new phenomenon; in 2004 Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne both impacted virtually the same place on the east coast of Florida within six weeks of each other. There were reports of loss amplification at the time, particularly in Florida; given these back-to-back events, the same cannot be ruled out in Louisiana, despite the fact that they are different events and fall under different insurance conditions.

Included in the loss estimates are losses to onshore residential, commercial, and industrial properties and automobiles for their building, contents, and time element coverage.