Massachusetts Gets Lucky as Hurricane Arthur Floods Streets, Leaves Homes Alone

Hurricane Arthur swept across Massachusetts last Saturday, as many in the area battened down the hatches, stayed indoors,and hoped for the best while expecting the worst. Luckily, residents from Nantucket to New Bedford had their hopes answered. While there’s no denying that the area was hammered by rains that seemed as though they would never end, especially in the New Bedford area, most residents got away with a flooded yard and flooded streets. The storm did manage to interrupt many Independence Day weekend celebrations, but needless to say, most homeowners see that as a fair exchange for still having their homes after Arthur’s passing.

By Comparison, New England is a Very Lucky Region
None of this should be read to mean that New England came away unscathed. One in five homeowners polled by Ipsos Public Affairs say they have been putting off home repairs, 40% of whom attribute that to the inability to find a good repair service. Undoubtedly, many will take this opportunity to finally get those little fixes done as they take care of what little damage the storm left them with. Others suffered considerable losses of vehicles and property damage; however, compared to the way hurricanes tend to treat the regions of the southern United States, Massachusetts is very lucky.

By the time they reach the northern states, tropical storms and hurricanes tend to lose most of their power by traveling over landmasses. If you’re a Floridian, Louisianian, or anyone else living in the hurricane zone, chances are you’re not going to fare so well. Especially as the University of Colorado at Boulder estimates that hurricanes will only increase in prevalence thanks to climate change, with TIME likewise reporting that the intensity of storms will also increase, the South is in for harsh summer weather from here on out.

Within the last few seasons, tropical storms and hurricanes have become so destructive that many insurance companies have either begun limiting how much they’ll pay for damages or they’ve increased the deductible, leaving homeowners to cover more of the bill. In Louisiana, for example, catastrophic damage to homes is so common that State Farm has increased homeowners’ deductibles for hurricane insurance from a 2% deductible to a full 5%. While many estimate hurricanes could become powerful enough over the coming years to cause the same amount of trouble to the northern states, for now, places like Massachusetts should count themselves very lucky, indeed.

Do you live in Massachusetts? How were you affected by Hurricane Arthur? Share your stories in the comments below!