YOUR DISASTER PREPARATION TOOLKIT

As severe weather events grow more intense and widespread, it's smart to set up safeguards for your home and your finances.

- KIMBERLY LANKFORD

WHEN Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, N.C., last fall, causing extensive damage and flooding, many residents were taken by surprise. Nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains, 300 miles west of the Atlantic coast, Asheville wasn't thought of as an area prone to hurricanes and flooding, and fewer than 1% of homeowners in the area had flood insurance.

As severe weather becomes increasingly common in unexpected places, people across the country need to take different steps to protect their homes and finances from natural disasters. “We're seeing weather events happen outside of the time of year and the places we typically associate with these events,” says Dan DePodwin, senior director of forecast operations for AccuWeather. “No matter where you live, there is some risk of a natural hazard.” For example, AccuWeather forecasts that 1,300 to 1,450 tornadoes will occur across the U.S. in 2025, with the highest risk expected in the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys rather than the traditional tornado alley across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The rise in severe weather is happening in part because of climate change, says DePodwin. Temperatures as a whole are increasing, and warmer air holds more moisture, so “there’s a greater opportunity for heavier rain events,” he says. In early April, extreme rainfall and tornadoes in the central U.S. caused estimated damages of up to $90 billion. “People think of tropical systems and hurricanes causing significant flooding, but you can get flooding from a small, localized thunderstorm, too,” he says.

Disaster costs are also increasing because of where people are choosing to build homes. Runoff patterns change with new development, and houses situated on the coast and perched on mountains can be exposed to extra risks. “With steep terrain and a lot of mountains, it only takes a few inches of rain in a couple of hours to have significant flooding,” says DePodwin.