With an average of 53 large wildfires, 22 winter storms, 18 floods, and 1.7 tornadoes every decade, San Bernardino County in California is probably the riskiest county in the nation in which to buy a home.
Realtor.com found 20 counties where disaster is always looming. Half of the list consists of entries from California and Florida. California towns are always at risk for earthquakes and wildfires, while Florida cities need to worry about hurricanes and tornadoes.
The one bit of control you can exert as a homeowner: relocating away from parts of the country widely associated with specific varieties of disaster. But of course, moves sometimes seem to mean trading in one destructive force of nature for another. Move from Miami to Los Angeles and swap hurricanes for earthquakes, the conventional wisdom goes.
