HazardHub Data Shows More Than 500,000 Texas Homes and Businesses at Risk from Storm Surge
SAN DIEGO, CA (PRWEB) August 25, 2017 -- With Hurricane Harvey bearing down on the Texas coastline, HazardHub has released data regarding the size and scope of potential storm surge damage from Texas hurricanes.
According to HazardHub, more than 250,000 homes and 17,000 businesses could be subjected to storm surge for hurricanes up to Category 3. If a hurricane should strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane (like the Galveston Hurricane of 1900), the number of homes potentially impacted would rise to nearly 367,000. If a Category 5 hurricane should hit Texas – which would be extremely rare, more than 500,000 Texas homes and businesses would be subjected to storm surge – more than double previous estimates.
Brady Foust, Chief Science Officer at HazardHub says “While there are many, many factors in determining risk from storm surge, much of the danger from storm surge is related to the strength of the hurricane coming ashore. Hurricanes provide tremendous amounts of wind energy and a high degree of barometric variability that causes a buildup of massive amounts of water, pushed by the prevailing winds of the hurricane. If that wind-driven wall of water hits land, it has to go somewhere. If it hits wetlands, they act as a barrier to soak up much of the water. If it’s in a low-lying area with significant population, the results - like we saw with Hurricane Katrina - can be devastating.”
Bob Frady, CEO of HazardHub adds “The science behind storm surge modeling has increased dramatically over the last several years. We put that sharper science to use in creating SurgeMax. For too many years, people have been caught by surprise by storm surges that caused massive damage to homes and businesses. We want to help eliminate that surprise by providing cutting-edge tools that help to estimate risk from – and allow people to prepare more fully for - storm surge.”
We’re hoping that Harvey makes a turn to less populated marshlands over the next several days. SurgeMax is available today via HazardHub’s API, or via our consumer site at http://www.freehomerisk.com If you want the best science behind your Storm Surge estimates, contact HazardHub today.
About HazardHub
Air. Fire. Water. Earth. HazardHub is the only third-generation provider of property-level hazard risk databases spanning the most dangerous perils in the continental United States. HazardHub translates huge amounts of geospatial digital data into easy to understand answers, providing easy to comprehend risk scorecards that are used to make real world decisions. Our team of scientists provide comprehensive, and innovative, national coverage for risks that destroy and damage property.
Client Support, HazardHub, http://www.hazardhub.com, +1 949.533.5608, [email protected]
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