I'm an Insurance Pro: It's Time to Prepare for Natural Disasters Like They Could Happen to You

You can no longer have the mindset that "that won't happen here." Because it absolutely could, and the proof is below. As we head into 2026, consider making a disaster plan.

By Karl Susman, CPCU, LUTCF, CIC, CSFP, CFS, CPIA, AAI-M, PLCS

published 19 December 2025

in Features

A home constructed of hundred-dollar bills sits in the center of a target.

When you think of natural disasters, you probably think along the lines of hurricanes on the East and Gulf Coasts, earthquakes and wildfires out West and tornadoes in the South and Midwest.

But that mental map is about as current as knowing all of your neighbors by name. (And don't pretend you do.)

The last couple of years have been a master class in geography-free chaos: near-historic tornado seasons in the central U.S., catastrophic hurricane-driven flooding pushing far inland, repeated flash floods in places that used to call such flooding a once-in-a-generation event and a West Coast fire season that seems to never quite clock out.

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So yes, even if you live somewhere that "doesn't get" natural disasters, you need to prepare for them. Because they can happen anywhere now.

Old-fashioned insurance buying

A lot of people still buy insurance like it's the 1990s. The logic sounds familiar:

"That doesn't happen here."
"My house is built on granite."
"My house was built in the 1920s and is still here, so it ain't going anywhere."

While those thoughts might have been logical in the past, they aren't anymore.

About Adviser Intel

The author of this article is a participant in Kiplinger's Adviser Intel program, a curated network of trusted financial professionals who share expert insights on wealth building and preservation. Contributors, including fiduciary financial planners, wealth managers, CEOs and attorneys, provide actionable advice about retirement planning, estate planning, tax strategies and more. Experts are invited to contribute and do not pay to be included, so you can trust their advice is honest and valuable.

NOAA counted 27 separate U.S. disasters costing $1 billion-plus in 2024 alone, and the recent five-year average is more than double the long-term average. Translation: Big disasters aren't rare events these days — they're recurring guests who don't bring wine, cookies or snacks. #rude

Let's start with fire and floods

On the West Coast, the big headline is still wildfire. California logged thousands of fires in 2025 and hundreds of thousands of acres burned.

Even if your house isn't in the bull's-eye, fire creates secondary risks, like smoke damage, the effects of shut-down utilities (such as power and water) and the always-rising costs of post-fire recovery.

Then there's water. Atmospheric rivers — and I can't believe I'm using that term — and intense winter storms have turned formerly "dry" areas into surprise swimming pools with zero warning. The West Coast now swings between drought and deluge like a pendulum with a grudge.

Hurricanes and other storms

On the East Coast, the story is not just hurricanes hitting the shoreline. It's hurricanes dragging biblical-level rain hundreds of miles inland. Noah could have brought his Ark right into your backyard.

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm, then produced unprecedented inland flooding and landslides across the southern Appalachians.

Communities far from the beach took catastrophic losses. Many of those people no doubt thought that couldn't happen to them, and yet …

A month earlier, Tropical Storm Debby hit Florida and South Carolina, then soaked the Carolinas and dumped heavy rain into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, triggering flash floods. Surprise again.

And if you think, "That's still coastal-adjacent," you might want to talk to folks in Vermont. They had repeated flash floods during the summer, including major events in July 2024 and again in 2025.

Don't forget tornadoes

Mother Nature doesn't ignore our fellow Americans in the central U.S. Those areas have seen tornado seasons that are both high-count and high-intensity.

Our NOAA friends called 2024 a near-historic year for tornadoes, with the second-highest count on record. A multistate "superstorm" outbreak in March 2025 produced more than 100 tornadoes and major damage in the Mississippi Valley.

On top of tornadoes, hail and straight-line wind events are wrecking roofs, siding and cars in places where people used to say, "We just get thunderstorms."

You don't prepare for disasters because you're dramatic or a catastrophist. You prepare because disasters are basically happening everywhere you want to be.

And this leads me to one other fact: When you see a national weather map with lots of activity on it, then you can expect that more insurance claims are going to happen. That means more insurance claims, and more claims mean higher insurance premiums.

It isn't personal, or price-gouging, it's just math.

Check out these Kiplinger articles for information on how to prepare yourself and your home for disasters:

Everyone Needs to Prepare for Earthquakes, Even if You Don't Live Near a Fault Line

How to Prepare for a Hurricane and Other Natural Disasters

How to Prepare for an Emergency

Retirees, Be Prepared for a Natural Disaster

Is Your Home Disaster-Ready? An Insurance Expert's Guide to Preparing for Storms and Fires

How to Protect Your Home from Natural Disasters with the Right Insurance

How to Save Financial Documents and Information in Case of a Storm or Wildfire

14 Must-Have Items for Your Home Emergency Kit

Hurricane Insurance Claims: 10 Things You Should Know

Post-Disaster Financial Planning: How to Protect Your Assets

Want to learn more about insurance? Visit icgs.org.

Disclaimer

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

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Karl Susman is a veteran insurance agency principal, nationally engaged insurance expert witness and broadcast host who translates insurance from jargon to judgment. For more than three decades, he's helped consumers, courts and policymakers navigate coverage, claims and compliance. As Principal of Susman Insurance Agency, Karl works directly with households and businesses to compare options and make clear, defensible coverage decisions.