Residential Real Estate News
941,392 U.S. Homes at Risk of Storm Surge Damage from Hurricane Ida
Representing a combined reconstruction value exceeding $220 billion
According to new data from CoreLogic -- Hurricane Ida -- which is expected to be a major landfall hurricane on Sunday August 29, 2021, with a projected Category 4 status, is poised to leave billions of dollars of property damage in its wake from storm surge.
The central Louisiana coast is at risk of bearing the brunt of Hurricane Ida's extreme storm surge potential, with a total of 941,392 homes in the Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi coastal areas exposed to storm surge damage. These homes have a combined reconstruction cost value (RCV) of approximately $220.37 billion. These estimates are based on the August 27 National Hurricane Center 5 p.m. EDT forecast.
Due to the intensity and size of Hurricane Ida's wind field, a trifecta of impacts is expected: damaging winds between 130-156 mph, life-threatening storm surge of up to 15 feet, and extremely heavy, widespread rainfall between 10-15 inches.
"Atmospheric conditions are highly favorable for rapid intensification after Ida emerges from Cuba on Saturday into Sunday," said Dr. Daniel Betten, meteorologist and senior leader for Weather Science at CoreLogic. "Ida will also be passing over an extremely warm loop current, which is known to contribute to the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the central Gulf of Mexico, most famously seen with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005."
Hurricane Ida is the fourth named hurricane of the 2021 season and the first projected major hurricane at Category 4. As Ida approaches the Gulf coastline, its path will become more certain and the below metropolitan areas at risk will narrow.
