Before you buy or rent in a new area, spend an hour on its natural hazards. The checks below cost nothing, and they can change which house you choose or how much insurance you buy.
1. Look up the county’s top risks
Start with the county page on this site. It shows the county’s overall rating in FEMA’s National Risk Index, its three costliest hazards, and the expected yearly loss per resident. If the top hazard is flooding (as it is in about 7 out of 10 counties), the address checks below matter most.
2. Read the disaster history
Each county page lists every federal disaster declaration that included the county since the 1950s. A long list of recent flood or hurricane declarations tells you what locals have lived through. Look at the decade chart, too: is the county seeing more declarations than it used to?
3. Check the flood zone for the address
Search the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Zones starting with A or V are high risk. If you take out a federally backed mortgage on a home there, your lender will require flood insurance.
Zone X (moderate or minimal risk) does not mean no risk. Many flood claims come from outside high-risk zones.
4. Ask about the property’s flood history
Ask the seller or landlord directly whether the home has flooded or had a flood insurance claim. Many states now require sellers to disclose past flooding, and some require landlords to tell tenants too. Ask neighbours. They usually know which streets flood.
5. Get insurance quotes before you commit
Ask for a homeowners quote and, if relevant, a flood quote before you sign. In some coastal and wildfire areas, home insurance has become expensive or hard to get, and the cost can change what you can afford. Look at:
- the hurricane or wind deductible (often a percentage of the home’s value)
- whether wildfire is covered in full
- the federal flood insurance price for that address
Our county pages show the average federal flood premium in the county, but your quote can be very different.
6. Check wildfire and heat if you are moving west or south
In fire-prone areas, look at how close the home is to wild land, how many roads lead out, and whether the area has a community wildfire plan. For heat, check whether the home has working air conditioning and how hot the bedrooms get in summer.
7. Look at the house itself
A few features make a big difference:
- Elevation: a home raised above the street floods less often.
- Roof: newer roofs built to current code hold up better in wind and hail, and can lower your premium.
- Basement: useful in tornado country, but a flood risk in low areas.
- Sump pump and backflow valve: help keep water out of basements.
8. Know your evacuation routes
Find the county’s emergency management page, sign up for local alerts, and check whether the address is in an evacuation zone for hurricanes or wildfires.
Questions people ask
Is it a bad idea to buy in a high-risk county? Not necessarily. Millions of people live in high-risk counties safely. What matters is the specific home, insurance you can afford, and a plan.
Can I see how much flood insurance neighbours carry? Yes, at the county level. Our county pages show the share of homes with federal flood insurance. A high share usually means the area has flooded before.
What if the house has flooded before? Ask what was repaired, whether the home was raised, and what the flood insurance costs now. Repeated floods are a warning sign.
This checklist gives general information and is not real estate, insurance or legal advice.