Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. About half the victims were in North Carolina. Many inland residents there have never experienced flooding like this in their lifetime, and only a sliver have the flood insurance necessary to help them rebuild. 

Flood insurance isn’t included in homeowner’s insurance, and Americans are generally not required to buy it. 

Many people assume that they face little risk if they aren’t living in an area included in high-risk zones on FEMA’s flood maps, says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.

But FEMA’s maps don’t capture the full picture of flood risk. They are drawn “based on the assumption that the past will help us predict the future. In a rapidly changing climate, that’s not the case.” The maps can quickly become outdated as climate risks evolve, she notes, and don’t take into account pluvial flooding, or flooding from heavy-rain events, which is what North Carolina saw.

Even people who have personally experienced flooding sometimes drop their policies, Pralle says, adding that “if people have lived in a place where it hasn’t flooded in decades, they lose that memory of what can happen and what kind of losses they might suffer. Those who do buy flood insurance usually live in areas prone to flooding. The result is a system in which the risk is not evenly spread out, making flood-insurance premiums hugely pricey,” says Pralle, likening it to “a health insurance system in which only the sick buy coverage.”

Read more in The Atlantic article, “Why Helene Caught So Many Residents Off Guard.”