Hurricane Ivan struck the Gulf Coast in September 2004. Ivan was classified as a category five storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale of Hurricane Intensity before it made landfall in the U.S. with winds around 165 miles per hour. Its intensity dropped to a category three as it approached the Gulf Coast. Ivan damaged not only properties and businesses along the coast but inland as well. Heavy rains caused rivers and lakes to overflow their banks and tornadoes spawned by the storm struck Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Georgia.The purpose of this research is to examine if hurricane insurance or separate endorsements adequately protects and reimburses owners for their losses and to access public and private responses to natural hazards and disaster mitigation using Gulf Shores, Alabama as a case study. Since fall 2004, many homeowners and business owners have been negotiating with their insurance companies. Owners received some help from the organizations like FEMA and the American Red Cross but these efforts were not enough to recuperate all the damages and losses. This study seeks to place the issues of insurance costs, claims and coverage in Gulf Shores, Alabama within the overall context of natural hazards research using archival sources, observation, questionnaires, and formal and informal interviews as data sources. In light of continuing migration to hurricane prone coastal areas, ever-increasing property values and insurance premiums, and the added risk of increasing hurricane frequency, this research contributes to a better understanding of the role of insurance on natural hazard mitigation and preparedness. / Department of Geography