By the Sea?

[CharlesHarris]

I spent much of my public works career deployed under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact implementing preparedness, mitigation and emergency protective measures before, logistics supporting the public safety response to disasters, and debris management operations after events had passed.

You want your home or retreat well above the 100-year base flood elevation and far enough inland and uphill from rivers to be clear of storm tidal surges and flood zones. Forty miles is better than four. High ground is advantageous as well. As for myself, I picked a location "outside the moderate damage radius" from Washington, DC, with two ridges of mountains between me and the city, at 1000 ft. elevation on the western slope facing away from town, in a rural, agricultural community of about 10,000 population. While I have neighbors nearby, I am isolated enough that I could shoot out of my windows and nobody would care.