The latest bulletin from cat modelling firm RMS, reports that at 14:00 UTC Hurricane Sandy had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. Sandy is an extremely large storm, one of the largest ever recorded in the Atlantic and the impacts are expected to be far reaching.

Warnings of hurricane and tropical storm force winds, a dangerous storm surge, heavy rain and heavy snow are in place across a large portion of the US and a state of emergency has been declared in nine states.

The regions likely to be worst affected (coastal Mid Atlantic) are not only very densely populated but also contain a very high amount of insured exposure. More than 375,000 people have been ordered to evacuate Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. New York city officials have warned that the city be subject to an 11-foot surge of water that could severely flood parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels, and significantly damage the city’s vital network of electrical and communications lines. The city is also likely to be affected by hurricane force winds, starting tonight, Monday evening.

Hurricane Sandy has already caused damage to property and life across the Caribbean. Emergency officials have raised the storm-related death toll across the Caribbean to 66. The majority of the deaths and the most extensive damage occurred in the southern region of Haiti and the area around the capital, Port-au-Prince.

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