North and South Carolina have had a long and difficult history with natural disasters that have resulted in billions of dollars in damages and hundreds of fatalities. In the last 50 years, hurricanes such as Diane, Connie, Ione, Floyd and Fran have all made landfall in the Carolina region with homes, property, businesses and lives feeling the effects. Between 1996 and 1999, North Carolina alone was hit by more devastating hurricanes than any other state bordering the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico. And, according to Meteorologist Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Center, the storms don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. 'We’re still in an active hurricane cycle, and those tend to last 20 to 25 years. People should use the off-season to prepare for the next year,' said Feltgen.

The Carolinas are at risk, and the two states can do a better job preparing their citizens and protecting them from catastrophe.

Encouraging and enforcing stronger building codes is one important way to minimize damage and speed recovery in the case of catastrophe.  In the long run, the upfront costs of building to code are an investment in the future.  For every dollar put into mitigation, we can save $3 to $5 in future losses. Stronger building codes, enforcement, education, planning and preparedness will save lives, reduce property losses and protect neighborhoods from the damage of future catastrophes.

In the case of a mega-catastrophe, the Carolinas will undoubtedly turn to the federal government for financial recovery assistance.  Rather than waiting for a crisis and reacting to an emergency, ProtectingTheCarolinas.org believes lawmakers should make it a top priority to establish a comprehensive, integrated solution that includes a national catastrophe fund in order to provide greater economic protection at a lower cost to the people who are at the greatest risk.   Such a solution would establish needed financial protections before catastrophe strikes, while also mitigating the damage of a future catastrophe by improving building codes, strengthening first responders, improving land use planning, enhancing public education and incorporating a process of continuous improvement.

South Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, says the private market has failed.

'We are not going to sit here and wait for somebody to come up with a solution,' he said.

A national catastrophe fund – financed by private insurance dollars – provides a necessary backstop for the private insurance market to help families, businesses and communities in the case of extraordinary events.

Learn more details regarding a comprehensive, integrated solution, including strengthening first responders, preventing and mitigating problems through stronger building codes and consumer education, and advocating for a financial backstop.