Verisk Projects Insured Losses from Hurricane Ian up to $57B

Insurers are bracing for a hit of up to $57 billion as they try to assess the damage from Hurricane Ian in Florida and South Carolina, risk modeling firm Verisk said on Monday.

The industry projection includes estimated wind, storm surge, and inland flood losses resulting from Ian’s landfalls in the two states, Verisk said.

However, the estimate range, the low end of which was at $42 billion, does not include elements such as losses to the National Flood Insurance Program and any potential impacts of litigation or social inflation that could lead to a total insured industry loss of $60 billion.

The death toll from Hurricane Ian climbed past 80 on Sunday as embattled residents in Florida and the Carolinas grappled with a recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and some officials faced criticism over their response to the storm.

Recovery is expected to be slow and difficult due to inflation, high interest rates, and labor and materials costs, with litigation posing further complications for claims.