A review of last year’s natural hazards revealed an overall reduction in property damage caused by these events. While this doesn’t minimize the individual impact of devastating natural disasters that occurred in 2015, it does provide an overview that indicates less extensive physical and financial damage throughout the country.
Mother nature may have gone easy on us last year, but it seems this year she may have a different New Year’s resolution. When the calendar turned the page to a new year, the annual recording of disasters began at zero again. But, it hasn’t taken long for the numbers to climb since the beginning of 2016.
Only two weeks into the New Year, there was already a hurricane forming in the Atlantic. While Hurricane Alex only lasted a few days and never made landfall, it is uncommonly early for a hurricane to form in the Atlantic Basin. Before Alex, an Atlantic storm hadn’t occurred during January since 1978. Even though the hurricane didn’t cause any damage, the event is notable due to its extremely early formation. Hurricane season officially begins in June and ends in November, but Alex is just one an example that proves that hurricanes can form at any time during the year.
Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and other severe weather conditions have also been active during January. Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama already experienced EF2 tornadoes in 2016. What is important about these tornadoes is their geographical location. Tornado Alley, the area in the United States where tornadoes occur most frequently, doesn’t include any of these three states. This year we can expect tornadoes to visit the traditional alley states in the center of the country, as well as new hotspots located across the country, such as Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama who experience recurring periodic outbreaks of severe wind conditions that generate violent tornado events.
As for earthquake activity, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska in late January, along with several, lesser magnitude earthquakes in Oklahoma. Although these hazards caused minimal damaged, the events have certainly increased awareness of earthquakes throughout the country.
Coastal and inland floods have already caused property damage in 2016. Both the flooding along the east coast from Virginia to New England and the Mississippi River flooding that affected cities from St. Louis to New Orleans contributed to damage to properties early in the year.
Gratefully, none of these events so far this year has caused the major damage these hazards are capable of doing. Severe weather including hail, wind, fire, and floods can occur at anytime, anywhere. Don’t let Mother Nature catch you off guard. A home is a huge investment, both in time and finances. When it comes to protecting your investment, we at Berliner-Gelfand are here to help with over 50 years of insurance experience. Give us a call today at 203-367-7704 to learn what we can do for you.