This past weekend’s ice storm wasn’t as calamitous as predicted, underscoring a crucial fact: Sanford and Lee County are fortunate to be far less natural disaster prone than much of the country. FEMA’s National Risk Index, which categorizes which parts of the United States are susceptible to a host of different natural hazards, gives Lee County its second-lowest vulnerability rating. While we do see the occasional ice storm in winter or may face the remnants of a well-aimed hurricane, our area typically avoids the worst that other locations endure on a regular basis.
More than just making Sanford and Lee County a better place to call home, this advantage has a real financial impact on our area’s residents and businesses. According to the Brookings Institute, insurance premiums in Lee County are well below the national average; in 2022 (the most recent year with publicly available data), they averaged 16.1% lower. Just as crucially, insurance nonrenewal rates – driven in significant part by an area’s natural disaster vulnerability – are lower than in the Triangle, Triad, Charlotte, or Fayetteville. This stability means better rates and more options for local businesses and helps prevent the uncertainty of insurers exiting the market. And of course, on top of the insurance benefits, local businesses and residents are far less likely to face substantial damage directly due to disaster, avoiding incalculable loss and heartache.
This lack of exposure to weather and natural disasters is an underrated community asset as we market ourselves to outside investors. As hurricanes, wildfires, and other hazards increasingly damage vulnerable areas nationwide, community resilience is an increasingly important part of the site selection process. Safety and stability are prerequisites when considering a long-term commitment to an area – something that many coastal locations or more fire-prone areas out West are increasingly unable to offer to investor satisfaction.
However, we cannot take this natural endowment for granted. It remains our responsibility as a community, as businesses, and as individuals to prepare for the worst. That’s why our community opened its newest fire station just over a year ago, and why Central Carolina Community College operates a state-of-the-art Emergency Services Training Center to train firefighters and other first responders. These investments don’t just make our community safer and more resilient – they are an indication to outside investors that we are being proactive, not reactive, in addressing what hazards we do face.
So, as we all breathe a sigh of relief that this past weekend’s storm was not as severe as advertised, let’s take a moment to be thankful for our fortunate natural position, and all the opportunities it brings.