18 US housing markets where people live with the highest risk of natural disasters

Akin OyedeleAug 25, 2016, 17:30 IST

Los Angeles police officers wearing contamination suits secure the area following the explosion of a 'dirty bomb' during a simulated attack at a dock at the Port of Los Angeles on August 5, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. In the drill's scenario, a 'dirty bomb' smuggled into the port in a shipping container exploded as a bus was driving by, releasing a plume of radioactivity. More than 850 civilian and military personnel representing more than 60 government agencies, community based and private-sector organizations are participating in the terror response drill, 'Determined Promise 2004'.David McNew/Getty

Most people would rather not buy homes in a known dangerous area, especially when the risks can't be removed.

Attom Data Solutions looked into how exposed over 3,000 US counties are to six natural hazards: earthquakes, floods, hurricane storm surges, tornadoes, hail, and wildfires.

They found that median home prices in the lowest-risk counties rose more rapidly than the highest-risk areas over the past 10 years, profitting homeowners. That's not shocking, since fewer people want to live near hazards.

And over the past five years, sales volume fell below the national average in the most hazardous areas.

Attom also created an index for each of the six risks, and computed a total natural housing risk index.

Using their data, we ranked the 18 counties with the highest index value in ascending order. We also included the one-year percent change in sales, one-year home-price appreciation, the hazard risk indexes that were deemed "very high," and whether home prices are above the US median.

Here are the riskiest counties:

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18 US housing markets where people live with the highest risk of natural disasters