As Florida faces the uncertainty of Hurricane Irma’s path, it is clear that losses will be in the tens of billions of dollars. Most of the damage is expected to be directly storm related, meaning largely from the strong, over 100 mph winds, rather than from floodwaters like Harvey. The costs of Irma are not simply due to the gargantuan size of the storm, but from the vast real estate development Florida has seen despite its ongoing risk from sea level rise and storms. 

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