NEW YORK, July 31 (UPI) -- The apparently increasing likelihood that a hurricane will hit New England could cost the United States $200 billion, CBS NEWS reported.
"The risk is increasing and it's increasing every year," catastrophe risk analyst Karen Clark told the network.
A direct hit on New York's Long Island by a Category 3 or higher hurricane would cost $100 billion, and the cost of such a northeast hurricane hitting central New Jersey would be $200 billion in damages and lost business," Clark said.
Weather experts say that the chances of such a storm are three times higher than usual.
Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, told CBS, "A Category 3 storm could do a surge of more like a Category 4 or 5, so you could see 20 to 25 feet of water."
