Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on the planet. Between 1990 and 2009 hurricanes inflicted $152.4 billion in insured losses in the United States, and accounted for 45.2% of the country’s catastrophic losses during that same time period.
Yet, hurricanes have amazingly hit some zip codes much stronger than others. Which means that some zip codes are much more prone to hurricane damage.
Which zip codes? Well, Homestead’s 33033 zip code was hit by the dead center of seven hurricanes in the past 150 years. That, of course, includes the power category 5 Hurricane Andrew that struck South Florida back in 1992. The zip code directly to Homestead’s south, 33035, had the second most direct hits with five.
In Palm Beach County, Jupiter’s 33468 was hit by the dead center of four hurricanes, including Hurricane Wilma in 2005. In Broward County, Parkland’s 33076 was directly hit three times.
Of South Florida’s three counties, Miami-Dade was hardest hit. Most of the cities saw the core of two or more hurricanes in the past 150 years. Aside from Homestead’s seven direct hits, Hialeah was struck by four hurricanes, downtown Miami, Miami Beach, and Opa-Locka were all struck by three hurricanes.
It is important to remain prepared and vigilant as we enter the peak of hurricane season. Hurricanes are not “dots” on a map. They are large storms that impact a great area. The best way to prepare for hurricanes is to ensure that you have a plan in the event of a hurricane strike to deal with both the impact of the storm, and the aftermath.