Reporting by Stephanie Castellano, Savannah Morning News
It’s been over two years since Hurricane Helene roared across Georgia, bringing inland flooding and damaging winds—but the storm’s impacts continue to blow through homeowners’ wallets.
This year Georgia home insurance saw some of the steepest rate hikes in the country, which experts say was driven partly by Hurricane Helene. Premiums increased by 9% on average in 2025, and are projected to rise an additional 10% by the end of 2026, according to a new report by Insurify. The average annual cost for Georgia home insurance now stands at $2,896.
The large-scale damage from Helene forced Georgia insurers to pay out more in claims than they made in premiums, said Matt Brannon, senior economic analyst for Insurify. To make up for the loss, they raised rates in 2025 and 2026.
It’s a story that is playing out across the United States, which in recent years has seen more “billion-dollar disasters”—weather and climate disasters where damages reached or exceeded $1 billion.
Home insurance premiums have risen nearly 50% nationwide over the last five years as climate change continues to dial up the frequency and severity of weather events.
“Home insurance is one area where the finances just really make clear how much of an impact climate change is having on the world and on Americans,” said Brannon.
While prices are rising everywhere, the southeastern United States has seen an especially high surge in home insurance rates. Homeowners in coastal areas, which are particularly vulnerable to storms, are paying the most.
In Georgia the six most expensive counties for home insurance are on or near the coast, according to data collected by Insurify. In Chatham County, the average annual premium is $4,047—the fourth most expensive rate in the state.
Next to climate-related disasters, inflation is also to blame for insurance hikes. The cost of building materials has skyrocketed 42% since 2019, said Brannon.
“When a home is more expensive to rebuild and replace, that often leads to higher insurance rates,” he said.
What homeowners should know about Georgia home insurance
Nearly two in five Americans mistakenly believe their home insurance covers flood damage. It doesn’t.
“That’s because flood damage is extremely expensive to deal with,” said Brannon. “About one inch of flood water can cause $25,000 worth of damage to the interior of a home.”
In coastal areas, where flooding is most common, homeowners are often required to purchase a separate flood insurance policy. But as Hurricane Helene showed, even Americans who don’t live in high-risk flood zones are vulnerable.
“About 40% of flood claims happen outside of high-risk areas,” Brannon said.
Some insurance policies don’t cover wind damage, either—or they make wind damage subject to its own deductible.
Homeowners who live in high-risk areas like barrier islands are more vulnerable to wind and flood damage. But these are also areas where local or state governments may offer—or even be required to offer—discounts or grants for things like retrofitting roofs to withstand high winds. In Georgia, a new law that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027 will offer grants to homeowners through the Georgia Storm Mitigation Program to help cover the costs of hardening their homes against storms.
Georgia homeowners may also open a tax-free “catastrophe savings account” to set aside funds for disaster recovery. For those in high-risk areas who cannot get approved for a home insurance policy through the standard market, they can apply for a policy through the Georgia Underwriting Association, which serves as the state’s “insurer of last resort.”
Stephanie Castellano covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. You can reach her at scastellano@usatodayco.com. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News.
Related: Forest loss in Georgia worst in the nation, report finds
