22
Rural Voices
Risk Models can Improve Rural Disaster Preparation By Howard A. Kunst
Wildfire and flooding impacts can be minimized using risk models. Most areas across the country are subject to one or more natural catastrophe perils and rural areas are no exception. Flood, wildfire, hail and wind can and do affect these communities and result in devastating property damage and tragic loss of life, especially if a community and its residents are unprepared. Only some high-risk areas of the country require insurance, but natural catastrophes can strike anywhere (p. 20). Hurricane Harvey (2017) and Hurricane Florence (2018) both demonstrated how low risk areas can be affected. Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, made landfall off the coast of San Jose Island, TX, then traversed the state and stalled over Houston, dumping
torrential rain and causing major flooding. CoreLogic analysis showed that approximately 70 percent of the homes with flood damage were uninsured. Hurricane Florence was much the same. The storm made landfall just south of Wrightsville Beach, NC, as a powerful Category 1 hurricane. Days of rain caused widespread flooding, and CoreLogic analysis showed that approximately 85 percent of the homes with flood damage were uninsured. Most of the uninsured areas impacted by these hurricane-induced floods were classified as low risk. Flood events are not the only ones affecting low-risk areas. The catastrophic 2017 wildfires
