Houston storm damage could reach $7 billion

Powerful windstorms battered Houston late last week, causing at least seven deaths, overturning trucks on highways, toppling trees and power lines and blowing out windows of high-rise buildings, according to AccuWeather , which estimates the damage to be between $5 billion and $7 billion. billion.

More than 226,000 Texas homes and businesses were still without power on the morning of May 20, 2024, according to Poweroutage.us.

“Downtown Houston has not experienced this level of wind damage since Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Hurricane Alicia in 1983,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement. “This windstorm will go down in the history books as one of the most devastating storms in modern Houston history that was not caused by a hurricane.”

For comparison, 2022’s Hurricane Nicole caused a similar $5 billion to $7 billion in damage to Florida, AccuWeather reported. Tropical Storm Hilary caused between $7 billion and $9 billion in damage and economic losses.

Houston’s population density helped drive up damage estimates. The severe windstorm lasted an hour and 30 minutes, but caused as much damage as a Category 1 hurricane “affecting much of Florida,” according to AccuWeather.

“Although this windstorm was completely different meteorologically than a hurricane, residents in the Houston area may have felt like they had experienced a brief ‘mini-hurricane,’ as the damage resembles that which might be sustained by the wind impacts of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale,” Porter said.

AccuWeather reported that thousands of businesses will face lasting effects from the storm due to extensive damage to vehicles, equipment, offices and warehouses. Additionally, prolonged power outages resulted in the loss of perishable goods.

The windstorm is the latest in a series of extreme weather conditions to hit the Lone Star State in recent weeks, with Houston already facing severe flooding earlier this month while the Texas Panhandle saw wildfires. unprecedented forest.

The latest storms come two weeks before the official start of hurricane season, according to Porter, who said the severe windstorm should be a wake-up call for everyone along the Gulf Coast.

Estimates include insured and uninsured property losses, job and wage losses, crop losses, infrastructure damage, supply chain interruption, ancillary business losses and delays or cancellations of thefts. The projection also takes into account costs related to evacuations, relocations, emergency management and clean-up operations. AccuWeather also considered the long-term effects on businesses, transportation, tourism and other expenses related to unreported deaths and injuries.