Natural Disasters to Think About

There are dozens of natural disasters that can occur throughout the world. Many of these are common, and others are rarer. Regardless, it’s important to be aware of the possibilities, no matter the commonality or scarcity. Here are some to keep in mind that affect American citizens each year, or could soon.

Blizzards: According to the National Weather Service, blizzards are responsible for approximately 400 deaths each year. That’s not counting injuries, animal casualties, and property damage. This is especially concerning in northern and northwestern states.

Ice Storms: Winter storms carrying the ice storm labeling impacts tens of millions each year. Oftentimes, it results in loss of power, freezing to death, roadway incidents, and more.

Diseases: Diseases that impact flora and fauna have the potential to wreak havoc on the landscape. Diseases can kill or significantly harm animals and plants alike. Widespread events can quickly become a natural disaster, leaving much property damage in their wake.

Drought: Severe drought is a common issue, especially in more arid regions of the country. This can lead to crop damage, tree damage, livestock impacts, and more.

Earthquakes: Although less common than other events, earthquakes are still a significant risk, and these can cause great harm. Approximately 15-20 major quakes occur in the U.S. each year, with smaller events occurring more than 12,000 times in the same timeframe.

Hailstorms: The National Weather Service reported an uptick in hailstorms from 4,436 (2022) to 6,962 (2023) to 5,373 (2024). According to numerous studies, hailstorms are becoming more common each year.

Lightning: While different studies produce various results, the U.S. sees anywhere from 20-40 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes each year. These cause approximately 20 deaths annually. But property damage (fires, fallen trees, and more) is far more common.

Straight-Line Winds: The National Weather Service estimates straight-line winds cause approximately $2.5 billion in damage in the U.S. each year. In the past, outlier years produced more than $10 billion of damage.

Tornadoes: The NOAA reports an average of 1,200 tornadoes each year. Some years produce upward of 2,000. Various sources offer different figures, but each year, tornadoes result in approximately $1 billion of damage. However, bad years can produce up to $4-5 billion of economic devastation.

Hurricanes: Approximately 15-20 hurricanes (and named storms) form each year. That said, only two to three land on U.S. soil. But they always lead to significant damage, and oftentimes, loss of life.

Sinkholes: While not a nationwide threat, sinkholes are common in karst areas with heavier concentrations of soluble limestone, underground waterways, and caves. Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, and other states are especially prone to sinkholes.

Flooding: According to the National Weather Service, more than 40 million people are at risk of flooding each year. This natural disaster is the most common. It’s a threat to all 50 states.

Avalanches: The U.S. Forest Service estimates 100,000 avalanches each year. Furthermore, they state nearly 30 people die from these each year. Of course, much property damage results, too.

Landslides and Mudslides: The CDC reports between 25 and 50 deaths each year as a direct result of landslides and mudslides. Additionally, these produce billions of dollars in property damage.

Wildfires: According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), the U.S. experiences an average of 70,000 wildfires each year. That burns approximately 7,000 acres of land. While controlled burns help habitat, unchecked wildfires do billions of dollars’ worth of damage.

Volcanoes: Although rare, volcanoes post massive threats to the U.S. The USGS reports 169 active volcanoes in the country. All volcanoes are dangerous, but massive volcanoes can damage even properties many hundreds of miles away.

If not made clear, rural properties face many threats. Landowners and prospective landowners alike must take precautions, make appropriate plans, and protect their property accordingly.

Start with the Right Land Purchase

Are you planning to buy a piece of land, but haven't found the right property yet? Consider avoiding high-risk areas. Perhaps, look for a property with a buffer or shield from some of these things that threaten land.

According to Cade Taylor, a Whitetail Properties Land Specialist in Southeast Louisiana there in the South have strong winds. However, if you have a natural buffer of timber that borders you to the east, your land can be better off. A lot of properties with cutovers on the east side get hit harder.

“You don't know when your neighbor is going to cut their timber,” Taylor said. “But definitely, if possible, have a buffer on the east side. A big timber stand or something else on the east side is not always feasible. You might buy and they might cut timber tomorrow. Then, you are right back in the same boat. But I've noticed a lot of properties that, ones that are sitting on the west side of bigger timber, are typically protected.”

“Here in South Florida, we're only about 12 inches above the water table. So, people always want to buy land that’s high and dry,” said Erik Flett, a Whitetail Properties Land Specialist in Southwest Florida. “Well, you're already in a flood zone because you're in Florida. So, finding higher ground can be difficult. But we can help you find that higher ground.”

“You just want to protect yourself from all the environmental factors,” Flett continued. “You’re looking for a property for when it comes to disasters.”

Where is the watershed going to come from and go? How high are you sitting? How long will it be and what size of flood would it take for you to get it? How far from the coast is that flood zone? What's the wind mitigation? What's your roof? What's your property type? How high is it off the ground? Is your AC off the ground? These and more are questions to ask when choosing a property with flooding in mind.

“These things matter, because water can travel under your home,” Flett said. “But if they're flat on the ground, it's going to get destroyed.”

“When someone calls from up north, they get really scared, especially when they think about all the water,” Flett continued. “But when you're born and raised down here, all you know is water. You know storms are coming, so you just have to get better at it.”

Prepare for Devastating Natural Disasters

The question remains. How do you prepare your property for a natural disaster? Regular maintenance is a significant part of disaster preparedness. Furthermore, disaster preparedness plans assist in preparing for potential issues, as well as what to do during and after they occur.

Of course, if your rural property has a country home, it’s imperative to reinforce doors and windows. Fortify foundations. Secure larger openings, such as main doors, garage doors, etc.

When preparing, keep the specificity of the natural disaster in mind. For example, in fire-risk areas, use fire-resistant materials. In flood-prone areas, elevate everything off the ground. In tornado-ridden regions, install an underground storm shelter.

For flooding, have generators and sump pumps on hand and ready to run. Prep sandbags and deploy these as needed. Plus, think about increasing the porousness of your soil to maximize odds of water draining and seeping into the water table. Seal concrete, wood, and other items with waterproofing.

“Lift ACs to the second floor,” Flett said. “Get a generator. Have all of the other features that need to happen. You sustain that, then when it comes to flooded ground, you want somewhere for that water to go.”

For fire zones, clear vegetation away from property lines, homes, and other structures on the property. Maintain large firebreaks around property lines. Use fire-resistant materials, including doors, windows, roofing materials, and more.

“You know, all the fires that happened last summer seem to be happening more frequently,” said Jake Pennington, a Whitetail Properties Land Specialist in Southeast Texas. “Have coverage for that. I'm down here on the Coast, and fires aren’t as prevalent here in East Texas, but we still recommend prescribed fires to reduce fuel load.”

“Get all the dead snags and everything away from fences before anything happens,” Pennington continued. “That's an annual deal. Ease around fence lines and cut down limbs and trees away from fences.”

Taylor says to have a forester manage your property with timber thinning. He’s not necessarily saying that's the fix all but thinks that’s a big help. Prescribed fire (controlled burns) can help prevent massive fires that can destroy timber.

“I’d definitely do that every 2 to 3 years (or whatever the time allotment is for each individual piece of land),” Taylor said. “You've seen the stuff that’s happened in California. The more fuel that you have on the ground, the worse it can get. If you can eliminate or deviate that fuel from time to time, then you're going to prevent those wildfires.

“Of course, you want to do it with a licensed forester, or somebody that can handle it,” Taylor continued. “But make sure that you have all your barriers around the property, your fire lanes (fire breaks), and stuff like that. But that's a big thing, especially down here in the South. We do a lot of burning.”

In hurricane, tornado, and other high-wind situations, tie down all outdoor items. Use hurricane straps. Fasten loose exterior house parts. This minimizes the likelihood of these from exiting through the air. Secure doors and windows, too.

Lastly, prioritize general preparedness, and if ever needed, have a plan ready for action. This starts with prepping emergency gear items, including first-aid, food, water, lighting, batteries, etc. Of course, move valuable, sentimental, and otherwise important items to a safer location. If time and safety allow, shut off utilities before the disaster event occurs. Establish a family emergency plan that outlines response protocol, expected communication, and more.

A Case in Point: Provide Peace of Mind with Insurance

Insurance is the leading source of peace of mind. At least, from a natural disaster preparedness standpoint.

“I'm in Southeast Texas, and we got hit with hurricane Harvey,” Pennington said. “It dumped 65 inches of rain over three days. So, when I think of insurance, obviously I'm thinking of flood insurance.”

According to Pennington, they called Hurricane Harvey a one-in-500-year flood. Then, it was followed by another one-in-several-hundred-year flood. Before the first one hit, many people weren’t properly insured. By the second one, some still weren’t insured.

“I've seen so many folks have to start over with nothing,” Pennington said. “You depend on FEMA to get you some money, but it's never enough.”

“It's tough to watch people, especially those you know and grew up with, just completely lose everything to some freak disaster,” Pennington continued. “They never properly insured because they're like, well we won't see this again in our lifetimes,” Pennington said. “And then, the next year, they got smoked by tropical storm Imelda.

Most of the different disasters have their own specialized coverages that are required. Generally, you don't have blanket coverage for all natural disasters. For example, you must have a flood plan, earthquake plan, etc. It’s important for people to have these individualized insurance policies, especially if in moderate- to high-risk situations. As noted above, even low-risk situations demand insurance.

“You can get flood insurance through FEMA (through the government), and it’s based on your elevation,” Pennington said. “That is how it's calculated. Your general homeowner policies are not going to cover it. You have to get specialized flood insurance.”

Of course, in many instances, it starts out at about $500, and it’s crept up over time, but it's still very manageable, especially compared to starting all over with nothing. Many individuals learned that the difficult way, such as with hurricane Harvey.

“I got water up to the top of my slab, but it never actually came in my house,” Pennington said. “But it got so high that I was putting furniture up on paint cans. You can try to elevate everything to minimize loss.”

“The crazy thing about flooding is that it happens so slowly; it's in slow motion,” Pennington said. “When a fire comes, it's wham bam. A tornado comes and boom it's over. But flood water just creeps up and up and you can’t do anything about it. It’s so devastating to see it. It’s like, geez, I can't stop this.”

“I'm way outside of the floodplain, but we went and got flood insurance,” Pennington said. “It's cheap compared to the emotional toll of needing it and not having it.”

“When flood waters came during hurricane Harvey, everybody opened gates because the cattle will go find high ground,” Pennington said. “But those who didn't open their gates found them piled up in the fence corners. They drowned. People who opened had cattle that found high ground, and they lived to fight another day.”

Long story short, prepare as well as possible for natural disasters. Your rural property will be in better shape for it.

Additional resources with important information can be found in places such as Farmer.gov, which is with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.