Too many people learn a lesson about flood insurance the hard way. The morning after a hurricane blows through and their home has sustained water damage, they discover that their homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover damage inflicted by flooding. Many times people who thought they were too high up or too far inland to get flooded by a hurricane, and chose not to get flood coverage, are left wondering how they are going to replace everything they have lost once their home is destroyed. If hurricanes like Katrina, Rita, Hugo, and Andrew have taught coastal dwellers and even those a little further inland anything, it is the importance of flood insurance.

In many immediate coastal and low-lying areas, residents are required to carry flood insurance on their properties. If you live in a coastal area that does not require flood insurance, and you think that means you don’t need it, think again. Just because your particular area hasn’t seen a bad storm in awhile or just because your house is on stilts or just because you are not beachfront does not mean you shouldn’t have coverage. All it takes is one major storm, especially a major storm that makes landfall during high tide, to wipe away everything. It can indeed happen to you, and if it does, and you are uninsured, then you may never recover.

It is not just the immediate coastal areas that need to worry about flood insurance, and it is not just the areas for which flood insurance is required. Approximately 80% of hurricane flood damage to private homes happens in areas not considered “flood zones” by local officials and where flood insurance is not required. Keep in mind that hurricanes are very large storms, often spanning hundreds of miles, and once they make landfall, their rainmaking potential can cover several states well inland and well outside of so-called “hurricane zones.”

Consider Hurricane Fran, a category 3 storm, which made landfall in North Carolina in 1996. Though the North Carolina took the brunt of the wind damage, the storm dumped 11 inches of rain over western Virginia, causing serious flooding and 26 deaths. While western Virginia may not be the obvious place to get flood insurance to protect your home from hurricane damage, the track Fran took was far from unusual. Many land falling hurricanes in the eastern Carolinas caused severe flooding in Virginia and the upstate regions of North and South Carolina.

To help determine if you should get flood insurance to protect yourself from hurricane damage, even if you are further inland, do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the elevation of your home, and research the history of flooding in the area. Has a tropical system caused flooding your town before? Then flood insurance may be a worthwhile investment. It only takes the one storm to come through and destroy your property.

A common mistake people make is to assume that their normal house insurance protects them from flood damage. This is almost never the case. Flood insurance must usually be added onto your basic house insurance policy. Most insurance companies insist you purchase this insurance before the start of hurricane season for the policy to be valid that year. Don’t wait until a storm threatens to call up your agent to get a little extra insurance on the house! Of course, it goes without saying that if a storm does approach your area, you should make sure all of your insurance documents are in a safe, waterproof, easy to reach place. If you evacuate, take them with you. Your flood insurance won’t do you any good if it floats away!

 

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