|
August 31st, 2008
Posted: 02:15 PM ET
(CNN) — Hurricane Gustav could cause $29.3 billion in property damage when the storm hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to a federally supported computer projection issued on Sunday. Along with the property damage, business interruption losses are estimated to be $5.1 billion, according to estimates from HAZUS-MH, a software program that crunches numbers calculating potential losses from disasters such as floods, hurricane winds, and earthquakes. The numbers show that nearly 4.5 million people and 1.6 million buildings in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi will be in the path of the storm. About 232,500 buildings, around 14 percent of the buildings in the region, will be moderately damaged and 59,953 structures will be destroyed, the projection says. Most of the buildings are classified as residential. About 28.4 million tons of debris will be generated, and 170 hospitals, 599 fire stations and 568 police stations will be in the path of the storm, the projections said. “Before the hurricane, the region had 25,594 hospital beds available for use. On the day of the hurricane, the model estimates 14,088 hospital beds (only 55.00 percent) are available for use. After one week, 75.00 percent of the beds will be in services. By 30 days, 84.00 percent will be operational,” the report said. The projection estimates 116,700 households will be displaced because of the hurricane and of those 32,901 people “will seek temporary shelter in public shelters.” The numbers reflect the growing strength of the storm, now at Category 3, and there are expectations that New Orleans will be hit hard by the hurricane. Developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Institute of Building Sciences, the HAZUS-MH estimates are designed to help officials cope with impending disasters. The projections are updated several times daily. |
 
Editor's note
The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Time.  New on the CNN Wire
 |
|
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNN makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNN may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
|
|
del.icio.us
