Though Hurricane Matthew failed to make landfall in the continental U.S., its path brought strong winds, heavy rain and flooding to much of the Southeast Coast.
Matthew’s path of destruction impacted several of the 10 cities that stand to suffer the most home property damage if a hurricane hits, according to CoreLogic, a real estate data provider.
The majority of American cities most prone to hurricane damage lie along the Florida coast, according to the firm. Florida is represented on the list by six entries: two on its Atlantic Ocean coastline and four along its Gulf of Mexico coastline.
Hurricane Matthew caused $10 billion in damages, estimates CoreLogic, a small fraction of the $1.5 trillion in property at direct risk for hurricane damage along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
For its analysis, CoreLogic examined the risk of a hurricane-driven storm surge for homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coastlines across 19 states and the district of Columbia, as well as for 88 metro areas.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated this list represents the cities most prone to be hit by a hurricane.
No. 10 Jacksonville, Fla.
Jacksonville has 166,709 homes that could be damaged by a hurricane-driven storm surge, and they are valued at $35.8 billion. Hurricane Matthew passed very close to Jacksonville, causing major flooding to the area. The city’s last direct hit was by Hurricane Dora in 1964.
No. 9 Naples, Fla.
Naples has 180,919 homes, valued at $43.2 billion, at risk for damage by hurricane-driven storm surges. According to Naples officials, 73 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 miles of the city over the past 153 years.
No. 8 Bradenton, Fla.
Bradenton has 250,615 homes, valued at $47.3 billion, that may be impacted by hurricane-driven storm surges. The Gulf Coast city has not been directly hit by a hurricane in the modern era, but it did experience widespread power disruptions during Hurricane Matthew.
No. 7 Houston
Houston has 280,112 homes in the hurricane storm surge impact zone valued at $51.9 billion. Though the 1900 Galveston hurricane brought widespread devastation to the region, Houston itself has never suffered a direct hurricane strike.
No. 6 Cape Coral, Fla.
Cape Coral has 306,953 homes, valued at $62.0 billion, that could be damaged by a hurricane-driven storm surge. The city last experienced a near-strike in 2004, when Hurricane Charley made landfall in nearby Cayo Costa, Fla.
No. 5 – Virginia Beach, Va.
Virginia Beach has 385,084 homes at risk for damage by hurricane-driven storm surges, homes valued at $83.5 billion. Though the city is often grazed by weakening storms as they move north along the Atlantic Coast, it suffered severe flooding from 2003’s Hurricane Isabel.
No. 4 – New Orleans
New Orleans has 390,806 homes valued at $94.0 billion that could be affected by a hurricane-driven storm surge. The city memorably suffered catastrophic flooding after its levee system failed in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
No. 3 – Tampa, Fla.
Tampa has 454,746 homes in the hurricane storm surge impact zone valued at $80.6 billion. The city has not taken a direct hit from a hurricane since 1921, before the National Weather Service started naming storms.
No. 2 – New York
New York has 719,373 homes valued at $260.2 billion that could be damaged by a hurricane-driven storm surge. Though the city experienced widespread destruction from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, its last direct strike was from 2011’s Hurricane Irene.
No. 1 – Miami
Miami has 780,482 homes valued at $143.9 billion at risk for damage by hurricane-driven storm surges. Though the city felt some of Hurricane Matthew’s impacts, the last direct hurricane strike it faced was by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
