As if we didn’t have enough problems, today marks the start of Hurricane Season. It runs until November 30th.

Forecasters are anticipating a moderate season. Specifically, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration anticipates 9 to 14 storms, including 4 to 7 hurricanes. Last year there were 8 hurricanes.

Of course, it’s not the quantity of hurricanes that matters. It’s the, um, quality. Specifically, it just takes one well-aimed doozy to destroy a city.

You can’t really put a price tag on storm damage because they destroy a lot more than stuff. But the dollars sure do add up.

Here’s a list of the 15 most expensive storms in US history, courtesy of Weather Underground. It puts the recession/banking/auto crisis in perspective (and not in a good way… AIG has already cost twice as much as Hurricane Katrina).

Allison
In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison caused $5 billion in damage. Affected areas: Texas, Louisiana.

Georges

Category 5 Hurricane Georges caused $6.3 billion in damage in 1998. Affected areas: Puerto Rico, Mississippi.

Camille

Hurricane Camille leveled Mississippi and Alabama in 1969 reaching category five and causing almost $7 billion in damage.

Jeanne

Category 3 Hurricane Jeanne caused $6.5 billion in damage in 2004. Affected area: Florida.

Betsy

Reaching category 3, Hurricane Betsy caused some $8.52 billion in damage back in 1965. Affected areas: Florida, Louisiana.

Agnes

Not the most fierce natural disaster – at category 1, Hurricane Agnes slammed the Northeast in 1972 causing $8.65 billion in damage.

Frances

Hurricane Frances hit Florida at category 2 strength, leaving $8.86 billion in damage behind in 2004.

Hugo

Surging at category 4 in 1989, Hurricane Hugo caused $9.74 billion in damages. Affected area: South Carolina.

Rita

Hitting the South – already ravaged by Katrina, Hurricane Rita’s damages totalled $10 billion in 2005. Affected areas: Louisiana, Texas.

Ivan

Dubbed Ivan The Terrible, Hurricane Ivan (cat.# 3) slammed Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico in 2004. Damages in Florida and Alabama amounted to $13 billion.

Hurricane Charley

Prior to Ivan, Hurricane Charley was stronger and costlier – reaching category 4 and $14 billion in damages to Florida.

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike (cat.#2) was not the most powerful natural disaster, but it caused quite the property damage – $18 billion. Affected areas: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi.

Hurricane Wilma

The hurricane season of 2005 closed with Wilma, which hit Florida at category 3 and with $20.6 billion in damages.

Andrew

The ’90s most infamous hurricane, Andrew came in strong with category 5 and left $35 billion in damages. Affected areas: Southeast Florida, Southeast Louisiana.

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina (cat. #3) – It slammed Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, causing some $81 billion in damages, leaving almost 2,000 dead, with hundreds missing. The city of New Orleans still has not recovered, four years later.

Plurk This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Ping This Post Reddit Stumble This Post