Cleveland, OH
Top 10 US cities with lowest risk of climate disasters—including hurricanes, fires and floods
With Hurricane Milton heading toward Florida and swaths of the South still reeling in the wake of Hurricane Helene, many might be wondering: Is any place truly safe from extreme weather?
Indeed, natural disasters have already caused more than $25 billion in damage this year.
And the Realtor.com 2024 Housing and Climate Risk report found that 44.8% of U.S. homes are at risk for extreme weather exposure, including extreme heat, wind, flood, and wildfires.
These threats don’t just impinge on people’s quality of life; they also affect housing prices and home insurance rates.
Sun Belt states are among the most disaster-prone spots in the country, and it shows in their high insurance premiums. Mississippi—which experienced major flooding this past spring—has insurance rates that are 30% above the national average, and Florida’s home insurance rates are four times the national average.
Research from the First Street Foundation estimates that 3.2 million people have become “climate migrants” who are creating “climate abandonment areas” due to extreme weather conditions.
“There appears to be clear winners and losers in regard to the impact of flood risk on neighborhood-level population change,” Jeremy Porter, the foundation’s head of climate implications research, said in a statement. “The downstream implications of this are massive and impact property values, neighborhood composition, and commercial viability both positively and negatively.”
To help prospective buyers consider current environmental realities, Realtor.com created property-specific environmental risk scores for listings that allow users to assess the risk of hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.
“Prospective homeowners can leverage these scores to evaluate climate-related risks across various locations, helping them identify ‘safer’ areas before making their final decision,” says Realtor.com economist Jiayi Yu. “Living in areas with a low risk of natural disasters offers numerous benefits to homeowners, including reduced risk of property damage, lower insurance costs, and a more stable local economy. This can contribute to a more secure, stable, and fulfilling lifestyle. Choosing to reside in areas with low natural disaster risk can help mitigate these concerns.”
Realtor.com also ranked the safest cities to live in around the country based on the share of homes that face minimal or minor hurricane, flood, or fire damage risk.
In case you’re curious where these safer-than-average havens are hiding, read on.
Akron, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 91.1%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $55.4 billion
Cleveland, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 89.3%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $163.5 billion
Seattle, WA
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 88.4%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $784.2 billion
Columbus, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 87.7%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $197.6 billion
Cincinnati, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 87.7%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $199.3 billion
Dayton, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 87.2%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $57.8 billion
Indianapolis, IN
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 86.9%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $190.1 billion
Pittsburgh, PA
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 84.7%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $183.3 billion
Toledo, OH
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 83.6%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $41 billion
Grand Rapids, MI
Share of homes at the lowest risk: 82.2%
Total value of properties at the lowest risk: $93.4 billion
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the second day, Northeast Ohio school districts are receiving bomb threats.
On Friday morning, two schools in the Elyria City School District, the high school and Ely Elementary, received bomb threats.
Both schools are evacuating students, and emergency responders are on the way, according to a social media post.
All other district schools are in a lockout status as a precaution.
The district asks that family members not come to the schools or call school offices at this time so emergency communication lines remain available.
Elyria Police said that the department is working with the district to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel following the threats.
“We are aware that neighboring school districts experienced similar swatting-related incidents yesterday, and our investigative personnel are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to identify the source of these threats,” police said.
Five Northeast Ohio school districts received bomb threats on Thursday, including:
- Alliance City School District
- Amherst Exempted Village Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Lorain City School District
- Shaker Heights School District
Below are the details from each district and the protocols in place to protect students and staff.
ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Alliance Police Department confirmed there was an ’anonymous’ robo-voice style call that came into the high school saying there were ’20 pipe bombs’ outside of the school” before 12:30 p.m.
Officers rushed to the high school and Rockhill Elementary School campuses “due to an alarm in which we were not getting a response from the school,” according to APD.
APD shared that the schools evacuated the students temporarily as officers conducted a sweep of the area.
“Nothing was found, thankfully,” APD Lt. Christopher McCord stated. “The school staff, and especially the students, did a great job of staying calm and making everyone’s jobs easier, smoother, and safer.”
“We will be looking into the source of the threats to hold those responsible accountable, if possible,” McCord added.
AMHERST EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS
The Amherst Exempted Village School confirmed at 10:25 a.m. that Marion L. Steele High School and Walter G. Nord Middle School received a bomb threat.
AEVS said all district facilities were placed on a level 1 lockdown before the two schools were evacuated to a safe location under the supervision of administration and staff, according to district protocol.
The Amherst police and fire departments teamed up with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to perform perimeter and building sweeps to determine if the threat was substantiated, said AEVS.
The perimeter sweeps of the two schools were complete by 11:34 a.m., and law enforcement then conducted the interior sweeps of the buildings, AEVS explained.
Amherst Junior High School and Powers Elementary School lifted their lockdowns at that time and resumed normal procedures, according to AEVS.
AEVS also confirmed at that time that all students and staff were accounted for and safe.
The Amherst Police Department completed its sweep of Steele High School and cleared the building of any threat by 11:51 a.m., AEVS updated.
Students were dismissed for the day at that time, according to AEVS.
AEVS instructed student drivers to leave the campus, and students unable to immediately leave were to stay at the school until they could be picked up by a parent, guardian, or approved emergency contact.
The bus routes were running at the scheduled normal dismissal time for students who need a ride home, AEVS added.
APD completed its sweep of Nord School and cleared the building of any threat by 12:32 p.m., AEVS updated.
Nord School students were safely escorted back into the building, according to AEVS, after evacuating to the New Beginning Church as a safe location.
AEVS instructed parents, guardians, and approved emergency contacts who wanted to pick up their student to report to the school’s front entrance, where staff and APD officers would help.
Classes, activities, and normal dismissal procedures resumed as scheduled for students who stayed at the school, AEVS shared, and bus dismissal also proceeded per usual.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and support of our families and community throughout today’s situation,” AEVS stated.
According to AEVS Superintendent Mike Molnar, all evening activities at the school will continue as scheduled, and school will resume on Friday.
Molnar added that AEVS will have an increased police presence at schools on Thursday night and Friday.
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed two threats were received on Thursday morning. The threats were against East Tech High School and Buhrer Dual Language Academy.
According to CMSD, Cleveland police and CMSD’s Department of Safety & Security conducted an investigation and found the buildings to be safe.
From the information gathered during the searches, Cleveland police believe both calls were swatting incidents.
Classes at both schools were uninterrupted, and the school day progressed normally.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Communications Officer Jon Benedict added that parents were informed about the incident.
LORAIN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lorain City School District confirmed the high school has been evacuated due to a bomb threat on Thursday afternoon.
This is the third Northeast Ohio school district to receive a bomb threat on May 7.
The district announced the evacuation of Lorain High School at 12:23 p.m., and dismissed students at 12:40 p.m.
Bus riders were escorted to the buses waiting to take them home, according to LCSD.
LCSD said many elementary and middle school students were at the high school for the dance showcase.
Those elementary and middle school students were brought back to their home schools, said LCSD.
All students and staff are safe and following established protocols, LCSD stated, and these measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
The district safety team and law enforcement partners continue to investigate this threat.
“Your students’ and our staff’s safety is our top priority,” LCSD stated.
A 19 News crew is on their way to the scene to learn more.
SHAKER HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shaker Heights High School received its second threatening phone call this week on Thursday, the district confirmed.
Shaker Heights School District said it immediately teamed up with the Shaker Heights Police Department to investigate the threat and determined its credibility.
SHSD said it was aware of the other Northeast Ohio school districts that received similar threats on Thursday.
“Based on the SHPD’s assessment and established safety protocols, the decision was made to continue normal school operations rather than initiate a shelter-in-place,” SHSD stated.
Additional SHPD officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the school out of an abundance of caution to support the safety and security of the building as the investigation continues, SHSD added.
Orrville City Schools were also placed on a soft lockdown on Thursday.
However, this was not a bomb threat, nor any direct threat to the school.
The soft lockdown was a precautionary measure for an incident that happened not just off school property, but out of the town.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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