Suffolk leads in Irene insured losses

Suffolk County suffered the highest insured losses in the United States from late August's Hurricane Irene, followed closely by a coastal county in North Carolina, financial data company Verisk Analytics said Monday.

Nassau County also suffered heavy insured damage from the tempest, which hit Long Island as a tropical storm, Verisk said.

Suffolk County topped the list of 191 hurricane-affected counties nationwide with more than $200 million in insured property damage, Verisk said.

Just behind Suffolk County and also with more than $200 million in damage was Dare County, N.C., which includes Outer Banks communities such as Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.

Three other counties had more than $150 million in damage, Verisk said, including Nassau, Monmouth County in New Jersey and Worcester County in Maryland.

Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in three years. Estimates of the total insured damage it caused have varied widely, ranging from $1.8 billion up to $7.1 billion. Irene caused far larger "economic" losses, including uninsured damage.