Most Americans expect severe weather to hit their community, but very few feel ready for the financial recovery that follows, according to research commissioned by COUNTRY Financial and conducted by The Harris Poll.
The survey of 2,400 US adults aged 21 and over, conducted online between June 29 and July 13, 2026, found that 84% are concerned their community will experience a severe weather event or natural disaster in the next year. Only 11% feel highly prepared to respond and recover.
Three-quarters (75%) said the financial aftermath of a severe weather event concerns them as much as the event itself. Nearly all respondents (97%) reported some form of weather-related financial strain in recent years, including higher utility bills, insurance costs, emergency supplies, property repairs or lost income.
The findings suggest households may be ready to react during an emergency but less prepared for recovery costs such as deductibles, temporary housing, property repairs and lost income.
Respondents reported an average of just 2.7 preparedness assets, a measure of the resources and plans they have in place for readiness and recovery. While many households carry insurance, significantly fewer have reviewed their policies recently, built dedicated emergency savings, created written evacuation plans, developed post-disaster recovery plans or documented their belongings.
"Preparedness is no longer just about having flashlights, batteries and bottled water," said Jesse Kohlbecker, vice president of claims and client services at COUNTRY Financial. "Today's reality is that weather preparedness and financial preparedness have become inseparable."
Concern was especially high in several of COUNTRY's own markets: 93% in Wisconsin, 92% in Illinois and 91% in Alabama. Regionally, Southern residents reported the highest concern at 90%, compared with 78% in the Northeast. More than half of Americans said severe weather has influenced where they want to live, and nearly four in 10 said they have wished they had chosen somewhere else to live because of it.
COUNTRY Financial, founded by farmers in 1925, serves nearly 1.5 million people across 19 states through about 1,800 financial representatives. The research was released during National Preparedness Month.
For agents and brokers, the gap the survey describes sits squarely within the annual review. A client whose deductible exceeds their emergency savings, or who assumes their homeowners policy covers flood, is exposed in exactly the way the survey highlights. The most useful conversations cover:
Encouraging clients to complete a home inventory before a loss is a simple step that speeds up claims, and the survey found it is one of the least commonly completed.
With insurance costs listed among the strains households already feel, these conversations are also a chance to show clients where their premium is going, and where coverage gaps could cost them more after a loss.
