Analysts are already counting the cost of damage done by superstorm Sandy. Estimates range from $10 to $20 billion.

The price tag might top last year's Hurricane Irene, which cost $15.8 billion, making Sandy one of the 10 most costly hurricanes in U.S. history.

Some analysts say damage to the overall economy won't be too bad.

"Assuming the storm simply disrupts things for a few days and it doesn't do significant damage to infrastructure, then I don't think it will have a significant national impact," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said.

Natural disasters can cause major damage, but the economic increase fueled by reconstruction and rebuilding usually makes up for the losses.