Between 2010 and 2020, Alabama was hit by 196 tornadoes, causing 284 deaths and $1.9 billion in property damage — worst among the states for damage and deaths. Most of the Alabama deaths occurred during the April 2011 Super Outbreak.
Texas had the most tornadoes over the 10-year period, with 513, and ranked second for the dollar cost of damage at $1.68 billion. Illinois and Mississippi also had more than $1 billion in damages. Missouri was second in number of deaths at 174. You can see complete statistics here.
Figures were compiled by ValuePenguin, a subsidiary of LendingTree, based on data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Despite the damages, there were only 16 federal disaster declarations, ValuePenguin noted, and the biggest FEMA relief package went to repair after an unusual outbreak in Massachusetts.
“While FEMA does provide funds after disasters to help Americans recover from the devastation, homeowners should not depend on FEMA funding as their back-up plan,” advised Andrew Hurst, insurance data analyst at ValuePenguin.com. “The agency only made 16 declarations for twisters in the past 10 years — while there were more than 5,000 recorded tornadoes in the same time period.
“If you are preparing for the upcoming tornado season, double-check your home insurance coverage — and make sure your insurance will allow you to recover completely after a storm. While most homeowners can be assured that their rates won’t rise precipitously after a tornado, if you aren’t adequately insured, you may face hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage you may need to pay out of pocket,” Hurst said.
