ABSTRACT
Hurricanes provide a constant reminder to coastal residents of the precarious nature of living in these high-risk areas. Between 1984 and 1994 in the US, for example, more than 200 lives were lost to hurricanes (storm surge and winds), and property losses totalled about $40 billion (US Bureau of the Census, 1996). In terms of federal disaster relief costs, Hurricane Andrew (1992) was the costliest at $1.8 billion, followed by Hurricane Hugo (1989) at $1.3 billion and the 1995 Hurricane Marilyn ($542 million), which struck Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in 1995 (FEMA, 1997).
