Storm surge report puts Tampa, Bay Area on notice

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Hurricane season is back, running from June 1 through the end of November. NOAA predicts 10 to 16 named storms, with between five and nine of those being hurricanes and between one and four of them being major hurricanes.

“I don’t put a lot of credence into that because it doesn't matter how many named storms we get. Either way, it can be a bad season for you - all it takes is one storm,” said FOX 13 Meteorologist Tyler Eliasen. “Not only do you want to have your disaster kit ready, but [you should] have a family plan."

One of the biggest threats facing Floridians is storm surge.

A recent report from Core Logic says nearly 3 million homes in the Bay Area are at risk. In Tampa, there are 460,000, making it the third most vulnerable city to storm surge in the nation.

The total cost of repairing them all, the report says, would be more than $79 billion.

“We're not trying to scare anybody, this isn't to put the fear into homeowners. This is to put the holistic overview that’s missing. Before the storm happens people should be aware of whether or not they're in an area that’s at risk,” CoreLogic's Senior Hazard Scientist Dr. Tom Jeffrey said.

If you haven't already, experts say now is the time to start looking at your homeowner’s insurance policy and to consider flood insurance.

“Homeowner’s insurance doesn't cover flooding. You have to have separate flood insurance for rising water,” said AAA spokesperson Matt Nasworthy. “There's always going to be that 30-day wait whenever you get flood insurance so you want to make sure you do that before there's a storm on the way."