Beryl Does $30 Billion In Damage
After racing across the Caribbean as a Category 5 hurricane, slamming into Mexico, and then hitting Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, Hurricane Beryl did about $30 billion in damage.
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Most of the damage was done in Houston, the nation’s fifth-largest city. It is a reminder that hurricane damage will reach at least that level if one hits Miami, Jacksonville, or Tampa Bay.
Accuweather says its “preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Beryl in the United States is $28-32 billion.”
“AccuWeather’s estimate largely accounts for damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, facilities, roadways and vehicles as well as power outages, which results in food spoilage and interruption to medical care and reflects damage that has already occurred as well as expected damage yet to occur over the coming days as Tropical Rainstorm Beryl moves up through the Midwest, Great Lakes, and to central and northern New England, causing flooding, localized tornadoes, and gusty winds.” It uses independent models to make the calculations.
Category 5 To Category 1
And Beryl was only a Category 1 storm when it dumped a foot of rain on Houston and left nearly 2 million people without power. Had it maintained its previous strength, the damage would have been hundreds of billions of dollars.
Beryl happened early enough in the hurricane season, so the likelihood of another huge storm reaching the US is high.
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