North Carolina tops for weather disasters? (Charlotte, Raleigh: homeowners insurance, how much, homes)

[magellan]

Forgive me if this topic has been covered before, but can anyone expound on why North Carolina is the only State in purple (highest) on this $Billion weather disaster maps? Is it mainly from hurricanes? Do you guys get a lot of tornadoes? How is it that North Carolina receives more damage from weather-related disasters than say, Louisiana or Florida? Has it begun to affect insurance premiums yet? Are homes built with hurricane bracing for trusses and foundation plates? Any other extra code requirements or precautions that homeowners and business owners need to be concerned with?

Thanks in advance!

[Alanboy395]

I'm from VA not too far behind NC in disaters. We usually get hit with the aftermath of hurricanes, we have a few inches of snow every year. It rains a lot every year so that explains the floods. Torandos are rare but can happen. Heat can get up to 100 here. So that explains all the diasters.

[mm34b]

23 NC Climatic Events (1980-2004)

Hurricane Ivan - September 2004
Tropical Storm Frances - September 2004
Hurricane Isabel - September 2003
Ice Storm - March 2003
Severe Ice Storm - December 2003
Winter Storm - January 2000
Hurricane Floyd - September 1999
Hurricane Irene - September 1999
Hurricane Dennis - September 1999
Hurricane Bonnie - August 1998
Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding - March 1998
Flooding - January 1998
Hurricane Fran - September 1996
Hurricane Bertha - July 1996
Storms and Flooding - February 1996
Blizzard - January 1996
Severe Storm, High Winds and Flooding - October 1995
Hurricane Emily - September 1993
Hurricane Hugo - September 1989
Tornadoes - May 1989
Severe Storms and Tornadoes - December 1988
Hurricanes Diana - September 1984
Severe Storms and Tornadoes - March 1984

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[magellan]

Thanks guys. Didn't realize all the hurricanes, yet you don't read much about it in the news like Hurricane Andrew and Katrina. Does that affect homeowners insurance premiums?

We pay about $350/year here in Western Michigan (Grand Rapids area) for a $250,000 home. Anyone know how much you would pay on a $250 - 300,000 home in suburban Raleigh or Charlotte? Also, does it affect home prices (like additional construction codes)? We researched home prices in the Raleigh and Charlotte area and to get a similar home in a similar neighborhood as we have here, it was quite a bit more (like $50 - $100,000 more) and the jobs we looked at paid about the same. That was last September.

Sorry for the pestering questions.

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by magellan

Thanks guys. Didn't realize all the hurricanes, yet you don't read much about it in the news like Hurricane Andrew and Katrina. Does that affect homeowners insurance premiums?

Sure, some areas of NC are risker than others and property insurance costs reflect that. I don't know of any special construction building codes that are not statewide, but I guess it's possible in the southeast corner of the state. Historically, the mouth of the Cape Fear River is a hurricane magnet, but the state is almost 600 miles wide. So what's happening in one part of the state doesn't necessarily mean the weather is bad in another.

[Skipstone]

Wow! That's quite a list, MM. Thanks for providing it.

Maybe I was safer living down in Florida.

I haven't lived here during all those hurricanes. Aren't they (along with the flooding) mostly a problem for the coastal plain areas east of I-95?

The one hurricane I've experienced here in Raleigh wasn't a big deal.

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by Skipstone

Wow! That's quite a list, MM. Thanks for providing it.

Maybe I was safer living down in Florida.

I haven't lived here during all those hurricanes. Aren't they (along with the flooding) mostly a problem for the coastal plain areas east of I-95?

The one hurricane I've experienced here in Raleigh wasn't a big deal.

Normally, but you never know the paths these things are going to take. Hugo (1989) tracked through the Charlotte-Gastonia Metro area and Ivan (2004) tracked along the mountainous NC/TN border. Rare, but it does happen.

"The most powerful hurricane to hit the state made landfall in 1954, Hurricane Hazel. It was the only category 4 hurricane to make landfall in North Carolina. 1996 saw the most costly hurricane to ever hit North Carolina, Hurricane Fran. The landfall location of Fran near the city of Wilmington and its progression into the Raleigh-Durham area caused an estimated 1.275 billion dollars in damage in North Carolina alone".

NC State Climate Office

[mm34b]

Got your NOAA All-Hazards radio yet? North Carolina is one of the few states that require them in all public schools.

http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag217.htm

[Skipstone]

Good idea, MM.

[Carolina_native]

While many tout NC's weather for being great, it actually has its downfalls as many times as it isnt mentioned.

Yes we have tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, etc. A state with such diverse geography has very diverse weather. Like warm weather? Well with warm weather of spring brings the Carolina storms.