How Hurricanes and the Homeowners Insurance Problem Affects You

Waterfront homes in Florida, unsurprisingly, are high in demand. Living with an ocean view sounds like a dream to most people and is a huge pull for moving to Florida. However, there are some safety issues with living on the coast. Living in Florida may include beautiful weather and beaches, but with that comes massive storms and hurricanes yearly. Their main target? These highly demanded homes on the coast. because of climate change and global warming, hurricanes will only continue to become stronger and more intense. According to scientists at NASA, because of changes in the climate, rainfall will become intense and the risk of flooding on the coast will increase significantly. The sea levels are also predicted to increase by a large amount. Although the frequency of these storms will most likely stay the same, hurricanes are still set to become much more severe.

          In addition to an increase in intense hurricanes and storms, building codes for homes on the coast do not require enough for these homes to withstand such storms. With these weak building codes in place, houses are more susceptible to being obliterated. Since damage to coastal homes is so common, homeowners’ insurance prices are also extremely high. Many people have had to leave their homes and move to another state just because they cannot afford to pay for their homes on the coast. Insurance companies have also suffered from coastal homes being destroyed. From fraudulent claims made by contractors that have forced companies to lose millions of dollars, to just the damage that is being done by hurricanes. Many insurance companies have left the state because of this, leaving many people without insurance on their homes.

          Insurance companies should not have to leave Florida and people should be able to live on the coast without having to worry about their safety or insurance prices. Everyone would benefit from higher building requirements for homes on the coast. With homes better protected, the risk of having impossibly high insurance prices will go down and people will be able to live on the coast safely. Even if it means that many people will have to get their houses remodeled in order to be more fit to withstand natural disasters, it will be worth for everyone. Those who dream of living on the coast will be able to without having to worry about the consequences.