BoatUS, the nation’s largest group of boaters, estimates that more than 65,000 recreational boats were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The total dollar damage is estimated at approximately $650 million, making the late October 2012 storm the single-largest industry loss since BoatUS began keeping track in 1966.
“We are all reeling from the huge impact this storm has had on communities and people’s lives,” says BoatUS AVP of public affairs Scott Croft. “We’ve never seen anything like it.”
The scope of the damage to boats is unprecedented, affecting large areas from the Atlantic seaboard as far inland as the Great Lakes, with the majority of damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. BoatUS estimates more than 32,000 boats were damaged in New York, followed by 25,000 in New Jersey. Approximately 2,500 boats sustained damage in Connecticut, and another 6,000 were negatively impacted in remaining various states.
Dollar damage estimates to recreational boats in New York is $324 million, followed by $242 million in New Jersey and $23 million in Connecticut.
Previously, during the 2005 hurricane/storm season, damage from Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina was estimated at more than $700 million combined, making Hurricane Sandy a very close second in terms of recreational boat loss.
For more information, visit boatus.com.
Photo by Tom Serio
