North Carolina has 4th-highest projected loss from hurricanes, study finds

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina has the fourth-highest projected annual loss from hurricanes, according to a study released Tuesday.

The study from LendingTree found North Carolina’s expected annual loss from hurricanes is $1.76 billion. With a population of 10.6 million, the expected annual loss per 10,000 residents in North Carolina is $1.66 million.

North Carolina’s expected annual loss score in the study is 92.9 out of 100.

According to the study, the three states with higher expected losses from hurricanes are Florida at $3.56 million per 10,000 residents, Louisiana at $3.1 million per 10,000 residents, and South Carolina at $2.85 million per 10,000 residents.

New Hanover County also ranked seventh among counties most at risk of hurricanes with a score of 99.4. Charlotte ranked 10th among populous metro areas at risk of hurricanes with a score of 88.7, according to the study.

The study used billion-dollar disaster data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information to calculate the percentage of billion-dollar disaster costs and deaths from tropical cyclones, as well as tropical cyclone’s inflation-adjusted costs.

The expected annual losses per 10,000 residents from hurricanes in each state were calculated through the expected annual losses provided by FEMA and population data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey with five-year estimates.