How to Disaster-Proof Your Home

Last year was one of the worst on record for natural disasters in the U.S., with more than $300 billion in property damage. Some 16 separate weather-related events were responsible for losses of more than $1 billion each. The most-expensive damages were from hurricanes--notably Harvey, Maria and Irma--but other types of perils broke records, too, including California wildfires, Colorado hailstorms, and tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast.

Last year was also the warmest on record. With a warming climate, the weather is becoming more volatile and extreme events more frequent.

You can reduce the risk of costly damages by strengthening your home against the destructive forces most likely to affect your area of the country. By doing so, you'll increase the likelihood that your home will survive the worst that nature throws at it. And depending on your state, municipality and insurer, you may qualify for grants or insurance-premium discounts to offset part of the cost.

Hurricanes

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and scientists at Colorado State University expect 2018 to be another big year, forecasting seven hurricanes--three of them major. (In 2017, there were six