1:00 September 13, 2006
Milwaukee tied as #1 in lowest risk for natural disaster

With the increased attention to the personal turmoil and financial devastation that can be caused by a natural disaster where would you want to place your business or home? Answer: Milwaukee.

According to SustainLane, an organization that is focused on personal health, home, and city sustainability, Milwaukee and Mesa, AZ were found as the U.S. cities that have the lowest risk for having a natural disaster.

Working with information from Risk Management Solutions (RMS), SustainLane studied America’s 50 largest cities to see how they sized up on natural disaster risk. (Founded at Stanford University in 1988, RMS describes itself as "the world's leading provider of products and services for the quantification and management of catastrophe risks.") 

The disasters that were included in the research were hurricanes, major flooding, catastrophic hail, tornado super-outbreaks, and earthquakes. The research also looked at potential frequency of disasters as well as the extent of damage.

The ranking for natural disaster risk from lowest to highest risk is as follows:

1. Milwaukee, WI*

1. Mesa, AZ*

3. Cleveland, OH*

3. El Paso, TX*

3. Phoenix, AZ*

3. Tucson, AZ*

7. Colorado Springs, CO

8. Detroit, MI*

8. Fresno, CA*

8. Minneapolis, MN*

8. Philadelphia, PN*

12. Chicago, IL

13. Denver, CO

14. Albuquerque, NM

15. Las Vegas, NV

16. San Antonio, TX

17. Nashville, TN

18. Atlanta, GA

19. Omaha, NE

20. Austin, TX

21. Kansas City, MO

22. Arlington, TX*

22. Dallas, TX*

22. Fort Worth, TX*

25. Indianapolis, IN

26. Louisville, KY

27. Washington, DC

28. Baltimore, MD

29. Charlotte, NC

30. Portland, OR

31. San Diego, CA

32. Boston, MA*

32. Jacksonville, FL*

32. New York, NY*

35. Memphis, TN

35. Seattle, WA*

35. Virginia Beach, VA*

38. Sacramento, CA

39. Columbus, OH*

39. Oklahoma City, OK*

39. Tulsa, OK*

42. Long Beach, CA

43. Houston, TX*

43. Los Angeles, CA*

45. San Jose, CA

46. Honolulu, HI

47. San Francisco, CA

48. Oakland, CA

49. New Orleans, LA

50. Miami, FL

* Denotes tie

Click here to read "U.S. Cities in Harm’s Way" on SustainLane’s web site.