The "cost" of hurricane damage?

[Ixolib]

Is the cost of hurricane damage really comparable across different regions? How can two storms be rated on cost when they may hit two completely different areas. Would Katrina's cost been more if she had hit Miama (with the same effects) instead of LA/MS (and AL)?

In my opinion, it is highly dependent on where a storm hits?? For instance, Wilma was "costly" because of the damage it did to the high-dollar real estate in SE FL. I've seen reports where someone's SCREENED POOL COVER/HOUSE was blown away and the insurance money to replace it was in the tens of thousands. However, if a Wilma were to hit my neighborhood, there are no screened pool covers/houses to replace as none exist. Consequently, the dollar value in terms of damage is not comparable...

This same conclusion may be drawn for Punta Gorda and Charley as well since I believe the median home price there is ~300K compared to ~100K where I live.

[MGC]

Like they say in real estate: location, location, location. Yep, identical storms hitting a rich area vrs a poor area will have vastly different damage totals. Thats why central pressure should be the standard not the SS scale....MGC

[quandary]

Cost vs impact is a big deal. A storm that causes 2 billion dollars in damage (like Katrina in Florida) has immensely less impact than a storm that causes 2 billion in damage in rural Texas, or Cancun (Wilma) or Cuba (Dennis).