(TNS) - After six months of chasing down and documenting the death and destruction Hurricane Irma left behind from the eastern Caribbean to the Carolinas, the National Hurricane Center released its report on Monday.

It underscores the wide swath of damage left behind by the massive storm, which brought wind and storm surge to much of Florida last September.

At least 129 deaths are attributed to the storm, either directly or indirectly. Irma's powerful storm surge, seas, winds and flooding were directly responsible for 44 deaths, concluded the team of three hurricane specialists who wrote the report, John Cangialosi, Andrew Latto and Robbie Berg. At least another 85 deaths were indirectly related to the storm.

Irma left a wake of damage exceeding $53 billion. Damages in the United States were estimated at $50 billion, making Irma the fifth-costliest hurricane to strike the United States, after Katrina in 2005, Harvey in 2017, Maria in 2017 and Sandy in 2012.

"Wow," said Jim Judge, Volusia County Emergency Management Director, after hearing the totals compiled by the Hurricane Center's staff.

"It was a big storm, a record breaker for sure," Judge said. However, like emergency managers often do, he pointed out the storm could have been "a lot worse," if it had made landfall in a more urban area or at a higher intensity.

Irma blew through Volusia and Flagler counties on Sept. 10 and 11, causing impacts to 7,407 properties and an estimated $451 million in damages.

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