People Who Live Here Should Buy Earthquake Insurance

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Jan 30, 2024, 11:07 ET

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent report by Clearsurance.com about earthquake insurance and who needs it, the U.S. experiences around 20,000 earthquakes yearly. Most of these tremors are so small they go unnoticed by most.

However, some are bigger and more obvious. The most significant earthquakes can potentially result in billions of dollars worth of damage. California is known for being an earthquake hot spot; however, several U.S. states have a heightened risk of earthquakes.

Clearsurance.com states that 39 states face a significant threat of earthquake damage.

Regions With High Earthquake Risk

The San Andreas Fault lies beneath California and puts much of the state at a high risk of earthquake activity and resulting damages.

The New Madrid fault line is less famous but could impact the states in the middle of the U.S., including Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Two hundred years ago, three major tremors shook the area. With the significantly higher number of people settled in these places, similar earthquakes could cause billions of dollars of damage if they happened today.

New York City, the most heavily populated city in the country, is also at an elevated risk of earthquake activity.

Earthquake Risk Factors

Location and proximity to fault lines are some of the biggest risk factors, but the age and construction of a building are also risk factors.

Buildings in California, for example, must be built to codes designed to enable structures to withstand earthquakes. However, homes and buildings built before present-day codes may not be able to hold up to the power of the earth.

Insurance for Earthquakes

Earthquake coverage is not something that home insurance covers. Homeowners living in high-risk areas must purchase earthquake insurance to protect themselves from financial loss resulting from earthquake damage.

Melanie Musson, a nationally recognized insurance expert with Clearsurance.com, shares, "Like flood insurance, earthquake insurance is a product that many people need, but few people have."

People who know they're at risk and those who have just realized they may be at risk can compare options for earthquake insurance and get the coverage they need.

Read Clearsurance.com's entire report here: What is earthquake insurance, and do I need it?

SOURCE Clearsurance.com