While we didn’t have any major hurricanes, 2006 still held plenty of other natural disasters. Pick any month and you’ll find a federal disaster declaration, probably several. In all, 50 events were severe enough to earn a declaration. And the disaster that topped the list? Flooding wins with 64% of all 2006 declarations. Where did these disasters occur? In 34 states and all four regions of the country including Hawaii, for an earthquake, and Alaska, for wildfire. Rounding out the federal disaster list for 2006 were severe winds, tornadoes, and winter storms. Interestingly, wildfire accounted for only two federal disaster declarations, but don’t be deceived. We had a record-setting wildfire season this year, with nearly 10 million acres burned in the Lower 48 states. If you learn anything from the above information it should be that disasters happen all over the nation, at all times of the year, to people just like you. The good news is that many people are learning about the disaster risks they face and taking steps to better protect their families and homes. For 2007 resolve to be one of them!
Make Disaster Safety Your New Year’s Resolution!
