The US may be facing a steady terrorism risk but it could need to prepare for even bigger storms on its coast around the Gulf of Mexico.

Disaster modelling by AIR Worldwide Corporation shows an intense hurricane in certain places could cause $US200 billion ($265 billion) in insured property damage.

Last year Hurricane Katrina caused about $US38.1 billion ($50.33 billion) damage.

The “doomsday” hurricane would need to strike Miami then re-intensify in the Gulf of Mexico and create further damage to populated areas west of New Orleans.

AIR also modelled the effects of smaller hurricanes, concluding there is a 1% chance of a $100 billion catastrophe this year.

President and CEO Karen Clark says a category 5 hurricane in Miami would leave a damage bill in the hundreds of billions of dollars, and it would take a category 4 in New York city to do the same.

As Sunrise Exchange News reported last week, leading insurer Allstate is refusing to renew the policies of householders in low-lying areas around New York. New York is the second-worst area for storm surge after New Orleans.