Some 6.5 million U.S. homes with a total reconstruction value of nearly $1.5 trillion are at risk of damage from hurricane-driven storm surge, and more than $986 billion of that risk is concentrated in 15 metro areas, according to an annual report by CoreLogic.

The 2014 analysis by CoreLogic found that by state, Florida ranks number one for the number of homes at risk, with nearly 2.5 million homes and $490 billion in total projected reconstruction costs.

At the local level the New York metropolitan area (including northern New Jersey and Long Island) contains not only the most number of homes at risk for potential storm surge damage (687,412), but also the highest total reconstruction value of residential homes exposed, at more than $251 billion.

Ranked second among the  major metropolitan areas at risk  is Miami, Florida with 562,410 homes exposed and a total reconstruction value of $103.2 billion, followed by Tampa, Florida with 444,765 homes at risk and a total reconstruction value of $79.1 billion.

CoreLogic makes the point that just one storm of sufficient intensity occurring in or near one of the major metropolitan areas in the report is all that would be needed to cause tens of billions in property damage:

Past hurricane seasons have demonstrated the impact that just one storm of sufficient severity, located in exactly the wrong place, can achieve. Andrew, Katrina, and finally Sandy are still reminders that it takes no more than one hurricane roaring through a metropolitan and densely populated area to cause widespread property damage and threaten lives.”

CoreLogic goes on to explain that extensive regions along both the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts are vulnerable to storm surge, and yet many of the homeowners who live in these areas are not required to carry flood insurance because they are not located within a designated FEMA 100-year floodplain.

Since standard homeowners insurance excludes flood losses from either fresh or salt water, homeowners who are not located in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, but are in high-risk surge zones, often do not consider buying National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) coverage for their properties.”