Insured losses from Hurricane Francine could reach nearly $1.5 billion, based on high-resolution modeling by Karen Clark & Co (KCC). The estimate, according to the company, includes “the privately insured damage to residential, commercial, and industrial properties and automobiles, as well as business interruption. It does not include boats, offshore properties, or NFIP losses.”
Francine’s Development
Hurricane Francine made landfall on Sept. 7 near Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, as a Category 2 hurricane with 100-mph maximum sustained winds, after forming from a tropical wave in the Bay of Campeche and developing into a low-pressure center, according to KCC. It is the sixth hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in the last five years.
“The system was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Six…on Sept. 8. The storm continued to intensify and was named Tropical Storm Francine on Sept. 9 in the Gulf of Mexico.” From there, as Francine moved toward Louisiana from the Texas-Mexico border, it intensified and became Hurricane Francine on Sept. 10.
“Hurricane Francine continued to strengthen despite a high-shear environment and made landfall as a category 2 hurricane with 100-mph maximum sustained winds…on Sept. 11,” the report continues. “Following landfall, Francine rapidly weakened to a tropical storm by 10pm CDT. This weakening trend continued, and Francine became a tropical depression on the morning of Sept. 12 while moving northward into Mississippi” and became a post-tropical cyclone.
Impacts of Francine
“The areas along and to the east of the track sustained the highest levels of damage, particularly Terrebonne Parish—which includes Houma and Montegut—where Hurricane Francine made landfall with 100-mph winds,” states the report. “Storm surge levels were not high enough to overtop trees, helping to mitigate the damage.
“Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Plaquemines Parishes experienced storm surge heights of over four feet along their coastline and among their numerous lakes and wetlands,” the report continues. “The coastal areas of Mississippi, including Biloxi and Gulfport, experienced similarly high storm surge levels as Francine generated strong onshore winds in this area even after making landfall. Surge even funneled up the Mobile Bay in Alabama and brought two to three feet of surge to Mobile, Alabama and other areas surrounding the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers.”