Those living in the Caribbean and on the coasts can breathe a small sigh of

relief for now: The 2017 hurricane season came to a close on Thursday. The

billions of dollars in historic devastation it left behind remains a

lasting problem for many, however.

 

While analysts continue to crunch the numbers to calculate the total damage

wrought by 17 named storms during this year's season, experts project that

the total cost will top $200 billion in the U.S. alone — the costliest

season in American history.