Analysis of Hurricane Andrew Insurance Claim Data for Residential Buildings

This paper presents preliminary results of a study of building damage caused by Hurricane Andrew as a function of building age. The information came from a 68,000 insurance claim records. The building locations were subdivided in regions to reflect wind speeds intensities. In the region close to the hurricane track, the newer buildings on average performed poorer than older buildings. In regions with milder winds, the newer buildings performed somewhat better. It has also been observed that the relationship between year built and damage ratio is neither linear nor monotonic at all distances from the hurricane track. Future refinements are expected to this study when appropriate wind speeds estimation become available.