Hurricane Jeanne
Updated: 7 October 2004
Profile
| Event dates | 13 - 28 September 2004 |
| Affected areas | Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos islands, Florida, Georgia |
|
Fatalities Injured |
3,043 2,862 |
| Insured loss | USD 6 - 8 billion |
Event description
Hurricane Jeanne formed as a tropical depression near Guadeloupe on 13 September 2004, moving in a northwesterly direction. On 15 September, Jeanne passed to the south of the Virgin Islands as a tropical storm and, after crossing Puerto Rico, strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in the Dominican Republic. (click to view map)
It was downgraded to a tropical storm after crossing through the Dominican Republic, where it left 24 people dead and 261 injured, and then headed for Haiti, where a combination of heavy rainfall and extensive deforestation resulted in severe flooding and mudslides, which ultimately claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people. Large parts of the country were submerged, Gonaives being one of the cities hardest hit.
Jeanne veered east as it crossed over the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos islands, in what seemed to be a path towards the Atlantic and away from an already battered Florida. However, it then made a loop, gaining in strength throughout, and headed straight for Florida's east coast. Hurricane Jeanne made landfall close to where Frances had hit the coast three weeks earlier, and passed northeast of Tampa on its way to the Panhandle, from where it turned north towards Georgia and the Carolinas.
The strong winds and storm surge again caused damage to coastal structures, while heavy rainfall flooded many areas in the affected states. At least six people in the US are reported to have been killed by Jeanne, which destroyed houses, uprooted trees and toppled power lines, leaving an estimated 2.5 million households without power.
Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth major hurricane to make landfall in the US in 2004, following hard on the heels of hurricanes Ivan, Frances and Charley. Hurricane Jeanne, with winds of up to 190 km/h, made landfall in Stuart, Florida on 26 September 2004, as a Category 3 hurricane, making it only the second time in recorded history that a state was affected by four hurricanes in one season – the first being Texas in 1886.
Insured loss
The aggregated insurance loss from Hurricane Jeanne are expected to be in the range of USD 6 – 8 billion. Given the complex claims environment that results when two or more hurricanes take the same path over a short period of time, these estimates are subject to possible change.
Swiss Re’s share of the loss
Based on current estimates, Swiss Re expects its claims related to Hurricane Jeanne to be approximately USD 150 million before tax.
Hurricane Jeanne storm track
