Catastrophes common in disaster belt’
Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires and other catastrophes are common occurrences in the “disaster belt,” an area stretching from hurricane-prone South Florida to the tornado-ridden plains of Oklahoma. In the last 10 years, 30 counties in the region have been declared federal disaster areas at least 10 times, meaning they would not be able to recover without outside aid, and have received more than $5 billion in aid, according to a USA Today analysis of federal records. Caddo County, Okla., topped the list with 13 disasters, tied with Monroe County, Fla. “You name it, we’ve had it. There’s been a lot of damage up here,” Larry McDuffey, Caddo County’s part-time emergency management chief, told USA Today. All but one of the top 10 disaster belt counties are in Oklahoma and Florida.
Top 10 disaster-prone counties
- Caddo County, Okla.
- Monroe County, Fla.
- Canadian County, Okla.
- Collier County, Fla.
- McClain County, Okla.
- Broward County, Fla.
- Grady County, Okla.
- Volusia County, Fla.
- Sullivan County, N.Y.
- Highlands County, Fla.