Think you'll be fine if you're not living in a hurricane zone? Guess again. Insurance companies consider far more than just Southeastern coastal properties to be at risk of natural disasters. From Hurricane Katrina to the tornadoes of the Midwest to the recent floods in the Northeast, the last couple years have been a boon for natural disasters

Even if a disaster doesn't strike, it's the threat of disaster that is hitting homeowner's pocketbooks all across the country. In many areas, insurance companies are dropping policyholders in order to minimize their exposure, and homeowners lucky enough to remain covered are seeing rates rise almost as fast as floodwaters did in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, losses from natural disasters climbed to a new record of $27.3 billion in 2004. In 2005 that number was almost doubled by Katrina alone. Here are the seven deadly disasters threatening your home and how your insurance company views them:

1. Earthquakes

Affected areas:
• Far West -- California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Alaska
• New Madrid Fault line -- Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky

Seismic hazard maps by the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, indicate that Alaska and California are the most earthquake-prone states. Within the next 30 years, there is a 62 percent probability that an earthquake will occur in the San Francisco Bay area and a 60 percent chance for Southern California.

Earthquakes are generally not covered by standard homeowner's insurance policies, and coverage must be purchased separately. Earthquake insurance is one of the few types of insurance to have gone down in price -- the California Earthquake Authority recently approved a 22-percent rate cut in order to encourage more people to buy earthquake insurance.

In recent years, there has been more attention on the New Madrid Fault line which runs 120 miles from Illinois to Arkansas. According to the St. Charles County Division of Emergency Management in Missouri, there is a 90 percent chance of a quake of a Richter scale magnitude of 6.0 and a 20 percent chance of a 7.5 quake by 2040. An earthquake of 7.5 or greater in that area would be felt throughout half of the United States and could produce damage in 20 states.

2. Floods

Affected areas: Nationwide

Many homeowners, unfortunately, find out every year that floods are not covered by standard homeowners insurance and require a separate policy that can be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program. Floods represent the No.1 natural hazard in the United States and can strike anywhere. Annual flood losses between 1996 and 2005 averaged $2.4 billion per year.

The average cost of a $100,000 flood insurance policy is approximately $300 per year, but rates can be considerably more in flood-prone areas. Hurricanes and recent disasters have made the public more aware of flood insurance.

"The consciousness of no longer having (flood insurance) because you're in a preferred (low risk) zone is no longer an issue. People are buying it no matter what flood zone they're in now," says Dan Burghardt, an insurance agent from New Orleans. Flood zones are mapped out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and are rated according to their risk level. Many residents in low-risk zones frequently bypass flood insurance. Contrary to popular belief, flood insurance is available anywhere in the country (usually through a local agent) and property owners can visit FloodSmart to determine their flood risk. There are approximately 5 million policies in 21,000 communities nationwide.

3. Hailstorms

Affected areas: Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
While hailstorms might seem pale in comparison to the rest of these natural threats, they can cause significant damage to property and life. The hailstorms of Central Texas in April 2006 caused more than $160 million in insured losses, and one of State Farm's biggest payouts was made to cover hailstorm damage in 1992.

The United States experiences more than 3,000 hailstorms per year, with most of them occurring in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Hailstorms can cause serious damage to roofs, siding and windows. Homeowners' insurance rates have increased in these areas, but policyholders can best minimize the premium by installing impact-resistant asphalt shingles.

Bruce Barnard, president of Barnard-Donegan Insurance in Seguin, Texas, says that hailstorms represent the biggest natural threat to homeowners in Central Texas.

"(Hail) is a big factor of homeowner's rates in Central Texas. We don't have much of a hurricane threat, but hailstorms do the most damage. Rates can be very high in some areas like Dallas/Fort Worth," says Barnard.

He says that it is common for rates to rise following a year with significant hail damage and that insurers try to project hail forecasts for coming years.

"Some companies might not even write you if you don't have a hail-resistant roof, and you'll be thrown into a higher risk category."

4. Hurricanes

Affected areas: Gulf Coast states and all Eastern coastal states

From the Carolinas to the tip of Florida and to the Texas coast, hurricanes threaten almost all of the Southeastern United States. According to the National Hurricane Center, 273 hurricanes struck the United States between 1851 and 2004. Ninety-two of those were considered major storms of Category 3 (sustained winds of 111 to 130 miles an hour) and above.

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005, many insurance agencies pulled out of coastal areas with the expectations that storms will become more frequent and intense in the coming years. Katrina caused some $40 billion to $55 billion in insured damages -- more than the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks and the Northridge, Calif., earthquake combined.

Homeowners can protect their homes by boarding their windows or installing storm shutters, elevating their homes if possible and installing "hurricane straps" which secure the roofs to the wall studs.

Burghardt has 20,000 clients and says that his homeowners have seen premiums rise an average of 20 percent after Hurricane Katrina.

"At this point, the hurricanes are having a dangerous impact on rates. Your premiums (along the Gulf Coast) are directly related to hurricanes. No hurricanes, lower rates. Wind and hurricane coverage is actually excluded in most policies in Florida, and I think that's where we're headed," says Burghardt.

5. Tornadoes

Affected areas: Regions: Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that, on average, the United States experiences about 1,000 tornadoes that result in 80 deaths and billions of dollars in damages every year. Although the destruction is not as widespread as hurricanes, they happen more frequently and can cause tremendous damage.

There has been a significant increase in tornado activity in the Midwest in 2006 resulting in 17 tornadoes and 52 deaths. Tornado season generally runs from March to May. The twisters are usually covered by homeowner's wind storm insurance but, as with hurricanes, rates are rising in tornado-prone areas.

Dan Ramsey, president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma, says the market was shaky after an F5 tornado -- the strongest rating on the Fujita-Peason tornado intensity scale through suburban Oklahoma City May 3, 1999.

"Oklahoma is really affected because we have a small population base so there is very little ability for insurance companies to get their money back when a tornado or hailstorm comes trough," says Ramsey.

He says that in contrast to other areas that experience natural threats, the insurance market in Oklahoma is relatively healthy despite the risk of tornadoes.

"(The tornadoes) have moved a little further east. It's been an unusual season. There are very competitive rates right now. I think it has to do with our insurance climate and rate structure. Fortunately, we haven't really had any big ones lately but I can't say what it's going to be like when tornadoes hit."

6. Volcanoes

Affected areas: Hawaii, Washington, Alaska, California and Oregon

While volcanoes geographically represent one of the least threatening disasters in the United States, eruptions are a possibility in the Far West. According to the USGS, more than 50 volcanoes have erupted in the past few hundred years in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California. They estimate that the most likely places to be affected by similar events in the future include Long Valley Caldera, Calif.; the Cascade Range volcanoes in Washington, Oregon and California; the volcanoes in Alaska and lava-flow hazards on Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii.

While most policies provide coverage from a volcanic eruption when the damage to the home is the result of airborne shockwaves, volcanic blasts or lava flow, they do not provide coverage from earthquakes, land tremors, mudflows or landslides often associated with volcanic eruptions. The cost to remove ash from property is usually not covered unless it first causes direct physical loss to personal property.

Ironically, while some parts of Hawaii are occasionally threatened by volcanoes, the state was ranked by Forbes.com as one of the safest places to live because it is not prone to tornadoes, hurricanes and hailstorms.

7. Wildfires

Affected areas: California, Arizona, Oregon, Florida, Montana, Washington, New Mexico, Colorado

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there is an average of 103,000 wildfires in the United States every year. In 2002 alone, wildfires burned almost 7 million acres. The Oakland Hills fire in 1991 caused $1.7 billion in insured losses, and the 2003 fires in San Diego and San Bernardino counties caused more than $2 billion in insured damages.

Fires are almost always covered under homeowners insurance policies, but more and more insurers are shying away from homeowners in wildfire-prone areas. Wildfire insurance costs depend on a number of factors including the number of homes in the area, estimated value and amount of coverage. Homeowners can help protect against wildfires by clearing shrubbery and establishing a 30-foot defensible space around the home and by replacing flammable vegetation with fire resistant plants.

"The location of where the house is really comes into play. If it's backing up to where a lot of the natural forest is, they have to have clearances and nonflammable roof," says Kathy Long, a personal insurance adviser with Rogers, Fitzwalter and Powell in Portland, Ore.

Long says that in general, homeowners insurance rates remain stable, even after busy wildfire seasons.

"Actually, our rates will skyrocket more because of hurricanes (along the Gulf Coast), not really because of wildfires," she says.