Weather and Property Insurance in Alabama

     Two big stories this morning regarding severe weather in Alabama...starting with a Birmingham News piece about the April tornado outbreak. If taken together, those tornadoes would represent the 5th most costly disaster in U.S. History.

     And The Huntsville Times reports Alabama now holds the record for the number of F-5 tornadoes, the most powerful and often most deadly category....seven of them since 1950. (I took the photo to the right from a helicopter the morning after the 1977 F5 Smithfield Estates tornado.)

     Add it all up and insurance rates in Alabama are sure to head upward, though the experts say that's more because of the overall increase in weather damage from thunderstorms than from the tornado damage.

     Press-Register Reporter Jeff Amy has written a comprehensive story about insurance company changes following the tornado outbreak here in Alabama, including an apparent decision by ALFA to stop writing policies on older Alabama homes...that is, older than 10 years.

    The only thing I'll add is that 94% of Alabama homes are older than that, according to the 2010 Census.