I know this isn't a perfect answer nor the one people will want to hear but part of being prepared is doing a thorough risk assessment before committing to a place to live. Granted life has risks; for instance a fire can occur anywhere and tornadoes occur everywhere except Antarctica. Yet some places have unique risks. You can get hit by a tornado in Kansas but not a hurricane for example. Right now I live in a town near a reservoir but my place is probably 75 feet above the highest non-Biblical flood possible.

Neither easy nor foolproof, but yes, there is much wisdom in the concept.

In practice, though, moving to a new place (say, for employment) and trying to latch onto a living space in that general chaos, is there a short list of people to contact?

Local fire department? Local police department? The emergency planning coordinator who generally gets no respect when it's quiet, and no peace when the cork blows?

Do you stipulate something research-wise with the realtor, or the lawyer doing the paperwork?

Love the concept. But how to implement?

I would start with the local emergency management office. When my kid was looking at a house to buy in the Pacific NW, I did a quick check on the county Emergency Management web page. I was rather impressed with what they had there, easily downloadable. For example, there were maps of flood plains and other hazards, so we could readily see where the house was at relative to those risks.

How much will be available directly from the Emergency Management office will probably vary significantly from town to town. Here in Anchorage, the E M website has some general info on the most likely hazards, but finding details on some issues requires a bit more research. However, the E M office page does have links to help start that research.

In my case just Googling and driving around helped a bit. It was kind of dumb luck that I found a place in a pretty good neighborhood (eg close to a nice small part, high up on a hillside that is probably too high to possibly flood...and close to work!).

Some of that I meant in broad strokes, though. For instance, living an area very prone to wildfires, moving to a city that's at or under sea level, etc are things that are very easy to discern.

Hi,
Definitely not foolproof ,
I barely even know where to start,
most people (my family) didn't bother with any kind of checklist,
not even once,
much less a check for local hazards,
there are always surprises without paperwork,
but ignorance is bliss,
ex for starters only
HQS Housing Quality Standards checklist
or home shopping checklist
Natural hazards aren't on the list at all.
Only mention of hazards is electrical (as in exposed/hanging wires)
You'd think thats kind of nuts but
just last month there was a story on the TV about two dozen "surviving" in a deathtrap sewer or church/laundromat basement


So I would start with a checklist of your own, ask the questions out loud right now, write them down. Then ask every person you're talking to get some more. Then when you're looking at counties/cities, you have something to ask about at emergency office ... and then the landlord/realtor.

Just from personal experience,
camping in a construction zone that is your home just isn't fun,
so ask lots and lots of questions regarding local plumbing/leak hazards,
ask about any kid of leaks they've ever had,
then for every hose or pipe or faucet or boiler or toilet or drain or wall or roof,
ask about last time it leaked,
last time it was broken or fixed,
if it leaked before that time and how was that different,
don't skip anything ,
was the floor/walls/ceiling wet? damaged? replaced?
roof leaks?
leak from loose sink connections,
leak from kitchen sink backing up and overflowing,
how often does kitchen sink back up
how often does the main pipe coming outside the kitchen need to snaked/cleaned by a plumber,
overflow from plugged bathroom sink ,
overflow from plugged toiled , how easy is to shut off toilet,
leak from old boiler relief valve (designed),
leak from improper fixes (owner blocking the leaking relief valve ),
improper boiler draining (boiler closet has no drain, or drain inadequate, or just sloppy plumber )
improper boiler install (improper connections, sloppy plumber making a mess)
how many decades old is boiler, when was it last serviced
any leaks from above? into light fixture ? ceiling fan? electrical anything?
holes in the walls? crawl space screes? gaps around pipes?
...
if your neighbor (or two or three) is above you ,
his boiler will leak right after you fix yours,
so ask the same questions,
and carry a can of spray on rubber sealant ($10?) for the boiler closet,
it can save you a few $1000 in damages and more in peace/quality of life







I've never seen hazards discussed or even mentioned , not by landlord or realtor, risk doesn't sell

I imagine the insurance guys ought to have a better idea than average about natural hazards (flood/landslide/earthquake...) seeing how risk is their game ... but fraud happens, cash recovery is always a pain/PITA


Some places its easier than its ever been to get lots of info for example
http://myhazards.caloes.ca.gov/
or https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard-map

??old gone?? The Disaster Finder http://nhss.cr.usgs.gov/ Natural Hazards Support System (NHSS)
??replaced by now gone ?? https://igems.doi.gov/ Interior Geospatial Emergency Management System (IGEMS)
?? new replacement??
https://www2.usgs.gov/natural_hazards/ U.S. Geological Survey: Natural Hazards

tsunamiready.noaa.gov TsunamiReady® Communities

Ideas to add to your list
The Disaster Handbook - National Edition

Heh
BARP Bay Area Regional Planner - Solve San Francisco's housing crisis in this accurate & exciting simulation. Where will you zone for more homes?