Natural disasters can be hard to predict. Sure, there’s supplies to purchase that may save you from mother nature’s wrath, but what about your land? What good is surviving if you don’t have land to survive on? That’s why we’re looking natural disasters in the face today and showing you How To Prepare Your Land for Natural Disasters:
First, Identify the Potential Threats
Where is your land located? Are you in a dry region prone to wildfire (ahem, California)? Or are you hugging the coastline with visits from cleverly named hurricanes? What you do to prepare should be based on your region. A brief list of possible natural disasters and where they wreak the most havoc:
- Wildfires – Southern US states see the most wildfires each year. Dense forested areas with unseasonably hot climates can also go up in flames on occasion. But pretty much anywhere can face an unexpected fire, so this one’s at the top of our list.
- Hurricanes – Eastern US states suffer the most hurricanes as well as some southern states along the coastline. With hurricanes comes high winds, debris, and flooding (and the occasional sharknado, so be careful).
- Flooding – This natural disaster spans most of the US, with Eastern, Southeastern, Midwestern, and West Coast states being the most hit. Floods are deadly and expensive and just a big old downer. Pretty much our least favorite natural disaster.
- Tornado – Tornadoes like to get around, striking in nearly every state in the US. The movie Twister made this natural disaster the rock star of disasters. But they’re anything but. Still, the states most heavily hit are east of Colorado, with Texas being the winner for most tornadoes in a given year.
- Landslides – The Pacific Coastal Ranges, the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains experience this gem of a natural disaster. Pretty much where you find a lot of wet dirt and steep slopes, you get landslides. But don’t think you’re out of the slide yet. They can pretty much happen anywhere. That’s why it’s called a disaster.
- Sinkholes – If being swallowed up by the earth isn’t terrifying, we don’t know what is. While sinkholes can strike anytime, anywhere, this natural disaster is most common in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.
- Earthquake – We saved the best for last-ish. Earthquakes can and do occur anywhere. But the regions most impacted by these tremors are Alaska and California. And pretty much most of the west coast. The east may get attacked by sea, but the west faces the threat of attack from underground.
- Meteor – Yeah, if this happens, we’re all doomed.
Once you’ve established which way mother nature will attack your land, it’s time to get prepared.
Evaluate Your Specific Property
Based on your land’s region and what natural disaster you may be facing, consider the following preparations:
- Clear out unnecessary debris – This will help in case of fire, flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. Are there fallen limbs and trees all over your property? If so, work to gather them up and dispose of them. This will lesson the cleanup after a disaster and may even prevent a disaster from striking.
- Build with storm-tough materials – When you eventually build on your land, no matter what it is (a home, a barn, a fence), spend the extra money to ensure the material can mostly withstand any natural disaster. *Many insurance companies offer discounts to policy holders installing storm-tough materials.
- Seal your well – If you have a well on your land, make sure you have a way to seal it up in case of emergency. This will help keep out silt and debris.
- Don’t build on a wetland – If your lot has a wetland, don’t do anything to disrupt its natural landscape. Wetlands can work wonders to help limit the amount of flooding a region gets as they work as nature’s sponges. They can even help stop a wildfire in its tracks. So don’t ruin a good thing. Utilize nature to combat nature.
- Monitor surrounding landscapes – Have a river on your land? How about a mountain? Keep an eye on the natural landscapes making up your lot and identify potential threats in case of a flood, earthquake, landslide, tornado, or fire. Maybe you need to tack up some metal caging on the mountain side to prevent rocks from falling, or build small manmade damns to help reroute the river. Get creative.
- Have an evacuation plan – Whether you live on your land or just visit on weekends, make sure you develop an evacuation plan to get yourself to safety. Which roads will you take and where will you go? The same plan should be made for any animals you hold on the lot. Have a barn full of horses? Make a plan to save them too.
- Gather Insurance Documents – Most regions require insurance for natural disasters. Make sure you have yours up-to-date and accessible in case of mother nature’s attack.
So there you have it, How To Prepare Your Land for Natural Disasters. Remember, since natural disasters can strike anytime and anywhere, some things are just out of your control. But buying land is an investment worth protecting. So do everything you can to block whatever mother nature throws your way.
Not all land is in the danger zone. Check out these hot properties that just may be the disaster proof lots you’re looking for.