U.S. Makes Strides to Guard against Tsunamis

12/29/2009

A recent report finds that while the U.S. has generally taken more steps to protect itself against tsunamis, many homeowners remain unprotected against such natural disasters and floods in general.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, tsunamis are relatively infrequent in the United States, but they have been known to occur after large earthquakes. One example provided was a tsunami that killed 11 people in Crescent City, California in 1964 after a major earthquake in Alaska.

The III reports that the U.S. is better protected from tsunamis since one in 2004 that killed 225,000 people in various nations on the Indian Ocean, having improved the number of its detection systems from six to 39 in recent years.

There is also a now a system in place where a community can be declared tsunami ready if it meets criteria such as completing a public education campaign and setting up an alert system, as well as holding emergency exercises. The need for such precautions is especially significant in states on the West Coast.

Elsewhere in the country, the threat of flooding has increased in recent years due to an upswing in severe storms and other weather events. Standard homeowner insurance policies do not usually cover such damage, which makes it important for people to secure coverage that is properly suited to their location.

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