Safety Information: Hurricanes

On April 8, 2008, the Colorado State University forecast team released their updated hurricane prediction for 2008. They predict that between June 1, 2008 and November 30, 2008 there will be 15 named storms, of which 8 will develop into hurricanes. They believe 4 of these hurricanes will be intense/major hurricanes, categorized by a 3-4-5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The following chart compares the Colorado State University forecast team's predictions to the actual storms:

The 2005 hurricane season was catastrophic, causing 3,315,550 insurance claims, 70% being personal property losses. These losses totaled $58,337,000,000 of which 49.8% (or $29,051,826,000) were personal property damages; the average claim cost $12,515.

Use the purple 'Hurricanes' button below to learn more about hurricane safety.

Safety Tips Many homeowners believe that theft is a major source of property loss, when in fact in 2005 theft only accounted for 2.6% of losses. Wind and hail accounted for the majority of losses at 45%, followed by fire, lightning, and debris removal at 25.1%. Water damage and freezing were the reasons for 16.8% of losses, and the remaining 6.5% included (but not limited to) vandalism and malicious mischief (according to III). Unfortunately the causes of many of these losses cannot be prevented, however there are some solutions to improve safety. Click the following pictures for information (gathered from the National Weather Service and Red Cross) on home preparation and safety: EARTHQUAKES FIRES FLOODS TORNADOES   HURRICANES LIGHTNING WINTER WEATHER