Interactive Disaster Map: How Homeowners Across the U.S. Should Invest in Disaster Preparedness

The U.S. is no stranger to all types of natural disasters, especially during the late summer period, which is why September is national preparedness month (NPM). From severe storms and tornados, to hurricanes and flooding, year on year we witness destructive forces of nature impacting homes and communities across the nation. As climate change leads to an increasingly volatile world, we find that disaster preparedness is more than just an option for those with extra resources; it needs to be an essential part of life for all of us.

In light of this, we’ve put together a resource for homeowners as well as those looking to buy a new home - a disaster map that provides, in an easy-to-grasp visual format, helpful information on what disasters are most common in each US State. The information on natural disasters is sourced from the FEMA website.

Interactive Map Showing Most Common Disasters in Each State (1953-2022)

By default, the above map will be set to ‘total natural disasters’ and the darker shades of color on the map will offer you a visual understanding of which areas of the U.S. are most disaster-prone. Texas, for instance, is a dark green: FEMA declared 104 natural disasters between 1953 and 2022. Wyoming, the lightest shade on the map, is much less disaster-prone: just twelve disasters have been declared since 1953. These are the top 10 most disaster-prone states:

In 2022 there have been several major disasters declared. 12 states were hit by severe storms (Hawaii, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Alaska, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and North Dakota). Floods were declared as major disasters in 4 states (Minnesota, Montana, Washington, and Puerto Rico). Major snow disasters were seen in Kansas, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

As you hover the mouse over each state on the map above, detailed stats will pop up. Hovering over Texas, we see a breakdown of the 104 recorded disasters: 20 severe storms, 24 hurricanes, 40 floods, 15 tornados, and 5 disasters related to snow and ice. Texas had no earthquakes during the time in question.

The drop down menu at the top also allows you to select a custom map, where you can view the distribution of floods, hurricanes, tornados, severe storms, and snow/ice disasters across the country. If you select floods, for instance, the map transforms to shades of yellow and brown. California and Texas, with the darkest possible shade (37-40 disasters recorded since 1953), stand out as two flood hotspots.

Oklahoma is the state most affected by storms in the U.S. 45 severe storms have been detected in Oklahoma since 1953. The state that tends to get the most earthquakes on average is California. It has been shaken by 13 earthquakes since 1953, which is 2 times more than other two earthquake prone states, Alaska and Hawaii. Florida has seen most hurricanes in the entire U.S. (49). The peak of hurricane season in Florida occurs between mid-August and late October.
The most tornado prone area in the U.S. since 1953 is Arkansas (18). It’s followed by Texas (15) and Georgia (13). The highest number of disasters related to snow and ice has been declared in New York state (22) during the period shown in the map.

Making Your Home Disaster Resistant

As a homeowner, you can utilize the map to discover what are the most common disasters that have been declared in your area and make responsible decisions about how to put your disaster-preparedness budget to effective use. If you live in Oklahoma, you will want to ensure your house is ready to weather severe storms. As a resident of Texas, you will also want a storm-ready home, but you may want to make a bigger investment in readying your home for potential floods.

A flooded basement cleanup is expensive - typically $2,000-$7,000 - as is other water damage restoration (the national average cost range for a basic cleanup is $1,200-$5,000). If you live in a flood prone area, you may want to install sump pumps in your basement (the national average cost is $700-$1,600 to install a new submersible sump pump), install backflow valves on your sewage, and anchor any fuel tanks that might spill and contaminate your basement if, in the case of a flood, they were torn free. You should also know how to turn off your electricity in case of evacuation, or should there be standing water or downed power lines in your area.

The interactive disaster map is not only useful for homeowners. It also gives property agents ample information to look for in any potential properties they list. If a property a prospective buyer is interested in is in an area which has seen multiple tornados, you’ll want to know if the house has a storm shelter and what structural safeguards have been put in place should a storm come in the area. Hurricane shutters and storm windows are important assets to inquire about. You’ll also want to do more local research to discover if your county and locale is more or less disaster-prone than the state as a whole.

It’s impossible to predict disasters, which is why it is also worthwhile knowing what to do and what costs to expect when it comes to damage restoration post-disaster. Yet, a good understanding of historical data and local conditions can enable you to be ‘always ready, always prepared’. You can make informed decisions on where to spend your limited home renovation dollars, and make the upgrades to your home that are most likely to matter in the upcoming years.

As you work through your own personalized homeowner disaster preparedness plan, you’ll gain new confidence. No matter what troubles may come in the future, you’ll be able to greet them with the equilibrium that comes when you know you’ve been responsible and done all that can be done in advance.

Author

Irena is an industry analyst at Fixr.com. She analyzes and looks for visual ways to simplify data. She has been researching and writing about construction, real estate and finance since 2018. For this article, she analyzed and updated the natural disaster data.