Are climate risk scores accurate?

Climate risk scores are a modeled estimate of flood, wind and wildfire exposure, and like any model they can miss details specific to one parcel, such as elevation, drainage work or a recent flood mitigation project. These scores are useful as a starting point for comparing neighborhoods, but they should not replace an actual flood zone determination or an insurance quote for a specific address. In a coastal market like Charleston, the gap between a modeled score and an insurer's real underwriting can be significant. Brian Beatty encourages buyers to get a real insurance quote on a specific home rather than rely on a risk score alone.