Gulf states clean up in wake of Hurricane Isaac

After Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm late Aug. 29 and then a tropical depression a day later, it began its soggy path north through the mid-United States, crossing into Arkansas, Missouri and expecting to dump rains on Illinois and Indiana by early Sept. 4.

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were left to clean up after the Category 1 hurricane left significant flooding, exceptionally high storm surges and tornadoes in its path, causing at last five deaths. Roughly 14 tornadoes were reported in southern Mississippi and Alabama Aug. 29-30, reports risk modelling firm Eqecat.

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimated that insured losses from Hurricane Isaac to onshore properties in the U.S. will be $700 million to $2 billion. AIR estimates include wind and storm surge damage to onshore residential, commercial and industrial properties and their contents, automobiles and time element coverage (additional living expenses for residential properties and business interruption for commercial properties).

Eqecat had earlier estimated total insured losses from Hurricane Isaac at between $500 million and $1.5 billion.

Damage reports have mostly been focused on the flooding caused by Isaac’s precipitation shield and slow movement, particularly in New Orleans, notes AIR Worldwide. It dumped as much as 16 inches of rain in some areas.

Meanwhile, two other named storms formed in the Atlantic Ocean, but are not expected to hit land, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Tropical Storm Leslie was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane Aug. 31, the center noted, but would remain out at sea.

Another storm, Hurricane Kirk, was churning winds of 105 mph southeast of Bermuda, the center added. However, Kirk posed little risk of making landfall on the U.S. coasts and began to weaken Sept. 1.

A typical Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms; Leslie is the 12th named storm so far in 2012. The season runs from June to end of November.