With an average forward speed of only about three miles per hour, many areas were subject to hurricane and tropical storm force winds for more than 24 hours.

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We expect to see significant damage to residential and commercial properties near and to the east of Rita's track. Fortunately, the heavy commercial and industrial areas of Port Arthur and Beaumont — with their numerous refineries — were to the left of the storm's track, where wind speeds are lower, so we do not expect to see significant structural damage to the refineries.

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If it came ashore in a rural area, it could be just a few billion dollars. It (insured loss) is very sensitive to where it actually makes landfall.

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It's much weaker, but the size of the storm tends to grow. Even a category 3 could cause $25 billion in damage.

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Building standards in the Gulf Coast region are not as stringent as other hurricane-prone regions. We expect this contributed to increased wind damage.

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The heavy commercial and industrial areas of Port Arthur and Beaumont -- with their numerous refineries -- were to the left of the storm's track, where wind speeds are lower, so we do not expect to see significant structural damage to the refineries.

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