Bertrand Labilloy, head of the Caisse Centrale de Reassurance (CCR) which specialises in natural disasters, said hurricanes typically caused around 100-200 million euros worth of damage on the French islands. 

“But Irma is much more powerful… so you should expect the figure to be much higher than this,” he told the CNews channel.

It is however “far too early to give any precise figure” for the damage in the French West Indies, he said. 

“The greatest damage from Irma is still to come, especially in Florida where there is around 100 billion euros worth of insured property,” Labilloy added. DM