Despite reaching the halfway point in the official hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) has updated its 2021 hurricane season outlook – increasing its prediction from six to ten hurricanes to seven to ten hurricanes. Of the predicted hurricanes, three to five could be major, with wind speeds of 111 mph or higher.

As climate change continues to increase the severity and frequency of natural catastrophe events, it is more important than ever for communities to be prepared. The United States 2020 hurricane season came with a record high of 30 named storms, battering the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Three of these storms hit the Louisiana coast back-to-back, making landfall just 15 miles apart in less than six weeks.

The Southwest Louisiana community was devastated. Homes were reduced to slabs. Roofs were missing. And the heat that set in shortly after the storm dissipated meant that many homes, rife with water damage, grew mold. This crisis highlighted an important distinction: while hurricanes are devastating for any community, the effects of disasters can be exponentially worse for lower-income areas.

Many of these communities in lower-income areas may not have the ability to afford insurance. They may not know their house is at risk of hurricane damage. When homes are destroyed, many uninsured homeowners are left with little options. Damaged homes, often unsuitable for habitation, mean that people are displaced, living in motel rooms and elsewhere and spending money on new, added expenses. Their place of work may be damaged, locking them out of earning income.

As climate change continues to reshape the way these storms behave, these areas are at increasingly high risk. Much of the increases are driven by population migrations from expensive metropolitan areas to these high-risk, more affordable coastal areas. These areas are typically low-lying, hurricane prone and especially subject to the climate-related factors at play: sea level rise, more extreme rainfall events and possible increases in hurricane intensity.

The resilience of these coastal communities—high income or low—continues to be a focal point of prevention and preparation. The only way forward is understanding what really is at risk, and education, preparation and collaboration of everyone who has a stake in this ongoing crisis: insurance companies, lenders, government agencies and the impacted families.

THE CORELOGIC 2021 HURRICANE REPORT

While we can’t control the occurrence of natural disasters like hurricanes, we can prepare for them. Understanding the risk to help accelerate recovery is the key to resilience.

The 2021 Hurricane Report provides insight into property risk, both nationally and by metro area, across single-family homes and multifamily homes from hurricane-driven wind and storm surge. With this knowledge in hand, we can all better protect the homes, families, and businesses we love. Download the 2021 Hurricane Report to read the full analysis.