You may think earthquakes don't pose much of a risk to our state, but Federal Emergency Management Agency lists South Carolina as a state with a high risk for experiencing an earthquake. Your home may be close to a fault line, putting you at risk and you might not even realize it. 

Earthquakes in South Carolina

Although some areas of the state are at a higher risk than others (70 percent of all South Carolina earthquakes occur in the Coastal Plain), all areas of South Carolina are listed as having at least a moderate risk of an earthquake.

Significant South Carolina Earthquakes

Although it has been some time since a significant earthquake has struck South Carolina, the state still has a history of sizeable earthquakes. The 1886 Charleston earthquake and the 1913 Union County earthquake are currently the two most devastating earthquakes in South Carolina history.

The 1886 earthquake struck in the Summerville/Charleston area. It is currently the largest seismic event recorded in the southeastern United States. It was also one of the most destructive killing 60 people.

In 1913, an earthquake estimated to be 5.5 magnitude hit Union County. The Richter scale magnitude was based on the level of damage reported.

A South Carolina Earthquake Today

If an earthquake of the same magnitude as the 1886 quake struck South Carolina today, it is estimated that:

  • Damages would cost close to $40 billion
  • Almost 200,000 people would be displaced from their homes
  • The tri-county area of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester would suffer about $10.9 billion in economic losses
  • More than 250 fires would burn

Don't wait for this possible scenario to become a reality before you consider adding the earthquake insurance endorsement to your homeowner's policy. You may be surprised how little it costs to add this valuable protection. Get a quick, no-obligation quote from a local Farm Bureau Insurance agent today.

Adding Earthquake Coverage Is Fast and Simple

A damaging earthquake in South Carolina could destroy your home, and without earthquake coverage you would have to pay all of the costs to repair or rebuild your home.

Earthquake losses are not covered under any of our unendorsed homeowner's insurancemanufactured home insurancecondo insurance or dwelling fire insurance policies. Fortunately, an earthquake endorsement is available for all of these types of policies.

Your local Farm Bureau Insurance agent can explain the earthquake insurance endorsement, and it only takes a few minutes to add earthquake coverage to an existing property insurance policy. 

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