FLORIDA, USA (AP) — Property data firm CoreLogic projects that Hurricane Matthew’s grind across the southeast will end up costing between US$4 billion and US$6 billion in insured losses on residential and commercial properties.

The firm’s estimate covers storm surge and wind damage, which it anticipates will account for 90 per cent of insurance claims related to the storm. CoreLogic’s estimate doesn’t include insured property losses related to additional flooding, business interruption, or other factors.

The firm also projects that the hurricane will end up damaging roughly 1.5 million residential and commercial properties in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Hurricane Matthew’s estimated losses are a fraction of those racked up by superstorm Sandy, which barrelled into the northeast in 2012, and Hurricane Katrina, which swept through Louisiana and nearby states in 2005.

CoreLogic says superstorm Sandy’s insured property losses reached up to US$20 billion, while Katrina’s hit as high as US$40 billion.

Earlier this week, the non-profit Consumer Federation of America, estimated that insurance claim payouts from damage caused by Hurricane Matthew would likely exceed US$7.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the White House says President Barack Obama has spoken with the governors of the four states being hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew.

Obama spoke separately yesterday to Governors Nathan Deal of georgia, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Pat McCrory of North Carolina and Rick Scott of Florida. The White House says Obama reiterated his commitment to provide federal aid to help the states respond to the storm.

Obama had already declared emergencies in the four states and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts.

The storm was blamed for at least four deaths in the US, all in Florida. In its long wake, it also left at least 470 dead in Haiti in one hard-hit district alone, according to officials, with other stricken areas still unreachable four days after the disaster struck.