Hurricanes in Daphne/Fairhope (Mobile, Foley: homeowners insurance, home, live)

[jsouth1]

My wife and I are looking to relocate in the near future to either Fayetteville, AR or the Daphne/Fairhope area from Baton Rouge. We probably would have already moved to the Daphne area, but once Gustav damaged Baton Rouge pretty badly 2 hours north of the shore, we're hesitant to move to Daphne for fear of yet another storm.

So, my question is how has Daphne/Fairhope dealt with the storms? Much damage? Cost of home owner's insurance? Frequency of storms as of late? Any information would be helpful both good and bad. We're weighing our pro's and con's of the areas. With our main con being the storms. Thank you for your help.

[oscottscotto]

Others would know more about insurance, but the chance of a storm hiting Daphne is about the same as a storm hitting anywhere on the Gulf Coast. It's always hit or miss anywhere on the coast of FL, AL, MS, and LA. And, like in most cases, damage just depends on the severity and direct placement of a particular hurricane. Nothing "huge" has hit Mobile Bay directly in a long time though ...

[Keeper]

You can do a search about ins but IIRC HOI is more expensive depending on how close you are to the water. Daphne and Fairhope are not below sea level unless you live right on the bay.
My family lived in Fairhope for many, many years and never had any damage from hurricanes. My DS lives near Foley and has had no damage from hurricanes during the last 20 years other than power being out a couple of days.

[JRA2000TL]

You should be fine in Daphne/Fairhope unless you live right ON the bay. This area is on a bluff quite a few feet above sea level. If you ever visit, take a look next time. Alot of the area is easily 30+ feet above the bay. Homeowners insurance is MUCH cheaper here than if you drive 30 miles east into FL.

Honestly, with a hurricane, all you need to worry about is the flooding since that's not covered under a standard homeowners policy. I'd say if you were 50+ ft. above sea level, you're fine. Katrina had 25-30 ft. storm surge at its worst point, and it was probably the most intense storm in history. Wind damage could occur from any storm or even a tornado. Homeowners will cover that, so don't worry. The worst part about hurricanes is dealing with all the local idiots and rednecks thinking the world is coming to an end. You deal with the gas shortages and all the crazies running around town.