Analysis Finds Nearly 60,000 Homes in Michael’s Storm Surge Path

With Hurricane Michael projected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast this afternoon, CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., estimates more than 57,000 homes potentially affected by storm surge damage exposure.

CoreLogic said most of these homes are located in Florida, where the strongest winds and storm surge is projected to hit. The company estimated these homes have a reconstruction cost value of $13.4 billion.

At press time Michael was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds at 140 miles per hour. It could further intensify, the National Hurricane Center said, capable of “catastrophic” damage. The Weather Channel reported a storm surge of as much as 12 feet of water could hit between Mexico Beach, Fla., and Keaton Beach, Fla. Tropical storm warnings extend from Tampa, Fla., through coastal Alabama and Mississippi.

“Hurricane-driven storm surge can cause significant property damage when high winds and low pressure cause water to amass inside the storm, releasing a powerful rush over land when the hurricane moves onshore,” CoreLogic said.

The National Hurricane Center said Michael is expected to make landfall at 12:30 p.m. ET. Its path is expected to take it through the Florida panhandle before moving northeast through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia–including the same areas affected by last month’s Hurricane Florence.