With almost two months left in the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, marinas, insurers and boat owners are hoping the experts were wrong.
Scientists from academia, industry and government had never predicted more severe tropical storms making landfall on U.S. shores than they did in 2007. The odds, they said, were almost three to one that a major hurricane would hit the United States this year.
Yet on the heels of the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the seas and skies have thus far been relatively stable. Hurricane Dean went to Mexico. Hurricane Erin dumped more rain on already-soaked Texas but didn't cause much marine damage.
"We are happy as clams right now," said Carroll Robertson, senior vice president of claims at BoatUS Marine Insurance, "but things could change."
SURGE IN DAMAGES
When a serious storm does strike, the damages add up fast. BoatUS estimates that Hurricane Katrina caused as much as $750 million in damage to recreational boats and destroyed 75 percent of the marinas along 150 miles of the Gulf Coast when it struck in 2005. That was more than double the $330 million in total damages caused by four big storms the previous year and it topped the $500 million caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which is believed to be the previous record.
The insurance industry pegs hurricanes as the costliest natural disasters to hit the U.S. every year. Furthermore, those costs are rising because the coastlines where storms make landfall are becoming more developed, because more hurricanes are occurring and because those that form are growing more severe.
In hurricane-force winds, boats can become projectiles. Whether to keep your boat on water or on land, and how it is secured, are major decisions that will impact its fate.
Hurricanes can bring winds of 70 to 130 MPH, rainfall of 6 to 12 inches in a 24-hour period and water levels 10 to 20 feet above the normal high tide, according to BoatUS. Large waves, tornados and other anomalies are also possible.
At sea, a storm surge has no meaning. The sea level merely rises a few feet–or a few dozen–with little consequence. On land, however, the combination of storm surge, high tides and flash floods from intense rain can inundate coastal plains, taking out bridges, levees, roadways and buildings, and destroying infrastructure such as communication and power lines.
At a marina, the consequences can be devastating. Heavy rains can overwhelm bilge pumps and run down batteries, but experts say that is only the beginning. "It doesn't compare to a wind event or storm surge event," Robertson said.
