Didn't feel I completely understand what you're asking. BUT: if you have a life-insurance policy on you or someone close to you who was born in 1933 and it has substantial cash value - I would seriously consider cashing it in if you can!

When a devastating quake hits in the New Madrid zone it's going to do so much damage that most insurance companies will be bankrupted within days from claims on life, property, etc. While they all have reserves, no insurance carrier can take the kind of hits they're going to see in that area. It may be that they've "segregated" their life polices from property coverages - but there are still going to be hundreds of thousands of claims of death taping out the funds available to pay claims even if the funds for life insurance are separated from the property/casualty claims pool.

The government was able to step in and pay off claims from the 9/11 attack. But they were only dealing with 3000 families who lost loved ones in that attack. This could be 300,000 families or more, depending on the severity and where it does the most damage. The US Government won't be able to bail out the insurance companies and they don't have enough reserve money to pay the claims themselves. There will be tens of thousands of homes, lives, etc., lost. And if it goes "worst case" and the Mississippi unzips all the way up to the Great Lakes and we create a huge inland sea, look out. The area lost to flooding will be thousands of square miles with every house, building, store, church, farm, etc., on that land under many feet of water, never to be seen or used again. Needless to say anyone near the area when the flooding starts will be lost as well. The death tolls could be well into the millions should that scenario happen.

If you have life insurance you can cash in now, and it has substantial value, then take the money and run if you can get it. Most policies will pay near their face value after they've been "paid up" thru 20 years of making payments on them. You may not loose much. BTW: the companies will offer you a checkbook with the money invested by them until you write a check against it and draw it down. Don't go for that one. Get a check or wire transfer into your bank account and then move the cash into metals or food or a house out of the area. No matter how much money you have, no one has ever come back from the grave to use that Black Amex Card one more time! Your money won't do you any good if you're dead (although your heirs may thank you for a few minutes as they plan how to spend your life savings!) <grin>