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Hi guys! Noob here

So, I just read a report that said home prices and insurance premiums are going to go up in the next 50 years due to climate change: http://www.movoto.com/blog/hom...ship/climate-change/

Anyone else hear about it? What does everyone think? Should we move inland?

I think insurance companies are realizing the effects of global warming to the human body. There are a lot of reports going out regarding heat strokes and other sickness being caused by extreme weather conditions especially the extreme temperature that people experience during summer. It is alarming that insurance companies would use this situation to make more money than to secure the health of more people. -One

This message has been edited. Last edited by: onelyn,

It is unfortunately inevitable that we ALL will be paying more for home and health insurance in the next and following years.
Increasing deductibles on insurance may help some, as long as you have the money set aside to cover the deductibles.

Looking at "the big picture" of where you want to live and whether you can still afford to live there is an individual decision. Way too many factors besides insurance figure into a choice that is right for any individual/family. I would go for what is important for you at this point in time (and in the near future), as none know what the real future brings.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: conrad,

There have always been hurricanes and super storms. The difference now is we're building more homes in the path of said storms.

While the world may be warming none of the "solutions" proposed will do anything to stop it. Do you part by using resources wisely if for no other reason than it saves you money. Don't build a city 5 feet below sea level (New Orleans) or build homes 5 feet above sea level with basements (Long Island). If you're going to build homes in the areas that were struck by Sandy build them like they do on the NC Coast on pilings above the potential flooding.

Moving inland isn't the magic solution. I had a blizzard 2 weeks go. There was one south of me last week And the entire middle of the nation is dry, nearly as dry as it was in the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. Summer 2011 we had flooding so severe we are still cleaning up after it. Tornados are a threat every summer.

Every section of the world and country has its own weather problems and they can change from season to season and year to year.

I lived 10 miles from the Texas gulf coast for 7 years (pre-Katrina). Every year we either got tropical storm(s) or a hurricane. Of course several homes on/near the beach were heavily damaged or destroyed. Upon being interviewed, one woman shrugged her shoulders and said basically that she chose to live there and she had no right to cry and wring her hands when her house was demolished...that she'd just rebuild.

Where I live now we have tornado warnings but have never had a touchdown. While I want a storm shelter, DH does not. If our home is ever taken out and we survive...he and I will have a very., very serious talk that will involve a lot of finger-pointing on my part. I feel that you should be prepared...for instance we have a generator because we live rural and ice storms break limbs and trees which unfailingly fall on power lines. I am still absolutely amazed by my neighbors who still do not have a generator.

If you live in tornado prone areas - put in a storm shelter.
If you live on the coast - don't build on the beach and whether there or inland a bit, batten down the hatches and evacuate when ordered to do so.
If you live in a flood prone area - build on stilts.
Keep a generator on hand and fuel to run it.

I once visited my mother and found her nearly in tears. She had been watching a report on global warming. I tried to make light of it and she very defensively asked if I didn't believe in global warming. I replied, Well yes Mama. It's been going on since the end of the last ice age...how much influence did man have on that? She looked very odd, put everything in perspective, humphfed and smiled...we began our visit.

You may think it rather strange, but spring/summer severe thunderstorms including tornado warnings are one thing I will miss when we permanently move to the mountains. DH and I have always loved the big storms. (I apologize in advance and do not mean to make light of any whom have suffered from loss in a tornado)

We had two large fires too near our mountain home this past summer and fall, mostly due to drought (and beetle killed pines) (plus help from an idiot with an illegal campfire)
Drought (if it continues) is going to make the biggest impact on both these areas, particularly the plains/midwest. Grass fires, irrigation of crops, water rights from river usage.

It is give and take, different issues (and benefits) where ever you live. We all really need clean, renewable energy sources like solar and wind to slow the global warming...big time.

Conrad,
One of the problems in forests now is we fight fires too aggressively, so the dead material builds up and when a fire happens it can quickly get out of control especially in high winds or droughts. The pine beetle probably wouldn't be the problem it is if we let the woods burn off some of the dead wood and "clean" the woods a bit. Here on the east coast the native dogwood is having challenges but it is still thriving in forests that have had a fire.

After living through Fran in 1996 and having several homes in our neighborhood burn from lightening strikes I have a whole new respect for even a category 1 hurricane and thunderstorms.

You are right Sparky.

And in the early years, the forests were clear cut and replanted by labor (not a natural event either). Thus all the trees in these areas are now mature and much the same age. The fungus likes mature trees, and spreads easily tree to tree especially since in the last decade and some, the winter temps have not gotten as cold as prior winters (to kill off the beetle larva).

And home building goes on in areas that are prone to fires and difficult to access in order to control them. (In other areas they are built too close to rivers, oceans, and flooding issues are a threat)

We've had a severe two year drought that has killed numerous trees. One of our neighbors just had a logging crew selectively take out dying trees and cut down the dead ones. Too bad more property owners don't do the same.

I don't live in a flood zone, but flash floods do occur here and two years ago after Hurricane Hermione, a flooding creek came too close for comfort to my home. Many neighbors who did not have flood insurance sustained BIG damages.

So I took out flood insurance for peace of mind. Just go my renewal: an increase from $350 to $415 -- that is a 20%hike. No doubt due to recent catastrophic events and billion dollar losses all over the country this year, not just from Hurricane Sandy.

Anyone who denies or ignores the impact of climate change is whistling past the graveyard. Yes, we have always had floods and other natural catastrophes, but the increasing severity and frequency is the big difference from then and now. In the entire 100+ year history of the NYC subways, there has never been the flooding of the system until Sandy.

But don't take my words for it:

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," said Joseph Lhota, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

"Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots," he said.

Aychi...

Sandy was a "100 year storm" it could happen again this year or not happen again until 2112 or later. The past 7 years have actually been somewhat quite for hurricanes in the USA after an extremely busy 2005 when we ran out of names for the storms.

As individuals we can do all sorts of things that will make us feel good like we are making a difference, nearly all of them I do but they won't make a significant difference in the world. I live a mile from my office and rarely drive there, when I lived in Virginia I bike commuted 42 miles round trip year round. I plan my trips to cut down on gas usage when I do drive. The main reason I do these things isn't to "save the world" it is to save money and to keep in shape. Combining my commute to work with getting exercise is a win win. I was fortunate in VA to have a greenway that took me most of the way to the office, without that there is no way I could have bike commuted to work on the congested roads of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.


The USA cutting down on the use of coal won't solve anything because China is ramping its use up faster than we can shut ours down. Electric cars are a joke, all they do is transfer the pollution from the tailpipe to the smoke stack at the electric plant.

The main thing with all the proposed changes to slow climate change is to generate more revenue for the governments of the world by taxing energy usage. These increases in taxes will slow the economy and keep more people poor in the process.

As Sparky mentions, The changes and choices that can make a real difference and help the planet stabilize/recover need to be global, (and not just in our country). Sending manufacturing across the borders or seas for profit only is just bad business.
Not an easy task to make changes, that has been proven. Just hope we can salvage the planet for our Grandchildren and their's.

Sparky and Conrad - Very well 'said.'

I live on the southside of VA near NC border and all I see here are trucks full of trees going down the road and then see where they cut them and the mess they leave around those sights .Wood they don't want .They have forested all over around my house .It looks ***** .I see the mountain tops where they have cut down scres of trees and it looks like a giant bold spot .Roads up to these spots look like long snakes .They just come in and strip the forest and I see waste every where a builder is building as all the extra wood from the cuts is put in a pile and burned and that is one of the reasons i did a modular house as i saw how they build in the plant and very little wood goes to waste and what is scrapes is used to heat plant or recycled .I have change over to all LED lights and energy efficient appliances and cut my electric bill down to a hundred dollars a month on a 2440sq. ft. home and i have a koi pond .I thnk Norris homes for my home everyday and there understanding of waste .

Sissy,
Trees are a renewable resource. While clear cutting isn't pretty those pine trees will be covering the hills again in less than 10 years. From a climate change point of view young trees sequester more carbon dioxide from the air than a mature tree.

We all need to use our resources wisely.

Trees are not only a renewable source, they are a cash crop here. Even in forests which were not planted as a crop...when trees reach maturity or become insect infested they die. IMHO it is better to harvest those trees than let them rot and fall.

The trouble with most forestry is often it is expensive and difficult to remove only the mature trees. So forest areas are clear cut and then possibly replanted.
That leaves the same species and age of trees put back in one large area. Disease and infestation of insects can then easily move from tree to tree. Natural forest diversity is much healthier, but does not make money as easily for harvesters.

Tree companies have wanted to come in and clear cut areas of beetle kill pines in the National Forest near RMNP. They will create roadways for big trucks and after harvesting it leaves land stripped open and unnatural erosion during rain and spring thaw. Causes landslides, rock slides and it takes longer for species to reforest. So far they have not been allowed in. Yeah!