Controlling flood damage crucial in hurricane season.(Statistical Data Included)

Businesses and their insurers that suffered from the devastation of Hurricane Floyd have a new outlook when it comes to preparing for such storms.

They are now painfully aware that, when a hurricane hits, it can bring much more than high winds. In the worst case, which Floyd seemed to present along the East Coast last year, it can bring water -- lots of water, and that can be just as destructive as the high winds.

With hurricane season once again upon them, insurers and policyholders are considering loss control measures that can prevent storm damage. Floyd taught those in its path a few lessons last year.

"These kinds of storms are not necessarily anything new," said Ken Linder, assistant vp-loss prevention technical services at Industrial Risk Insurers in Hartford, Conn. "But Floyd just sat there."

While it dawdled off the coast, Floyd's winds lost much of their ferocity. But the stalled storm produced rains so heavy that some areas from North Carolina to New Jersey saw devastating flooding. When the storm was over, much of the more than $2 billion in insured damage was attributed to the water.

"Floyd was unusual from the standpoint that we didn't see a lot of extremely strong winds, " Mr. Linder said. Instead, he said, the hurricane …