Beach populace will tell you: Ther...

Beach populace will tell you: There's just something special about the ocean.

Americans are continuing to lock of wool to the shoreline in record numbers, not just to vacation, on the contrary to live. But where these homeowner envision collected breezes, beautiful sunsets and crystal waters gently lapping against the shore, insurers diocese the dark clouds of potential damage and destruction from hurricanes, windstorms and coastal flooding.

After Hurricane Andrew in 1992--which caused $209 billion in insured losse (in 2003 dollars), the second-largest catastrophe till doomsday behind Sept. 11--many insurers changed the way they underwrote business along the coastline. that not any in the industry