This Hurricane Season, Flood Insurance is a Wise Investment

AUSTIN, Texas – Flooding is a familiar and frequent natural disaster in Texas. Heavy rains are a consistent threat across the state, while hurricanes have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage to Texas homes and businesses in just the past few years.

A flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program offers Texas residents their best protection against loss. It takes 30 days for a new NFIP policy to go into effect. 

Hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Will you have flood insurance in time?

“During hurricane season, Texas residents and businesses are at risk,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William J. Doran III, who is in charge of FEMA’s operations in Texas. “A policy with the NFIP is one of the best ways to supplement federal assistance and protect your home and livelihood.”

Flood damage is not covered under homeowner insurance policies and there is no guarantee that federal disaster assistance will be available when a flood occurs.

Flood insurance is available to homeowners, business owners and renters.  Policies offer up to $250,000 coverage for homeowners, up to $100,000 for personal property and up to $500,000 each for business contents and buildings.

Property owners who already have flood insurance policies are encouraged to check their policy each year, update as necessary and make sure premiums remain paid in full.

For more information or to find an insurance agent near you who sells flood insurance, visit floodsmart.gov, or call the NFIP’s toll-free number at 1-888-356-6329 (1-888-FLOOD29). Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 1-800-427-5593.

Download fema.gov/mobile-app to locate open shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive severe weather alerts, safety tips and much more.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Download fema.gov/mobile-app to locate open shelters and disaster recovery centers, receive severe weather alerts, safety tips and much more.

Originally posted here – 

This Hurricane Season, Flood Insurance is a Wise Investment

More Californians Preparing For Severe El Nino Flood Risk: Residents Purchase 28,000 New Flood Insurance Policies in California

More Californians Preparing For Severe El Nino Flood Risk:  Residents Purchase 28,000 New Flood Insurance Policies in California

28,084 New National Flood Insurance Program Policies Purchased in California since August

Oakland Calif., — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today released new data on

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Policies, showing an increase of more than 20,000 new NFIP Policies written in California during the month of November 2015.

There is a 30 – 90 day waiting period for new policies to be reported to FEMA and the latest available data, released today, shows an increase of 28,084 new flood insurance policies purchased in California from August 31 – November 30, 2015.

“Flooding is the most costly and devastating disaster we face as a nation,” said FEMA Region 9 Administrator Robert Fenton.  “The major increase in flood policies show Californians are taking the threat seriously and taking powerful steps to protect their families and property.  Those who may need and not have a flood policy should act today, as policies generally take 30 days to go into effect.”  

The 12% increase is the first of its kind in recent history.  The previous reporting period showed that policies increased 3% from August 31 to October 31.  During that timeframe, 7,181 new federal flood insurance policies were written in California.   

“We are encouraged by the number of Californians that are becoming financially prepared for the flooding that is expected from El Nino,” said Janet Ruiz, California Representative for the Insurance Information Institute.   “It is crucial to protect our families and homes by preparing for catastrophes ahead of time.”

FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and works closely with more than 80 private insurance companies to offer flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business owners.  In order to qualify for flood insurance, the home or business must be in a community that has joined the NFIP and agreed to enforce sound floodplain management standards.

Flooding can happen anywhere, but certain areas are especially prone to serious flooding.   Many areas in California are at increased flood risk from El Niño, as a direct result of wildfires and drought.

  • Residents should be aware of a couple things:
    • You can’t get flood insurance at the last minute. In most cases, it takes 30 days for a new flood insurance policy to go into effect. So get your policy now.
    • Only Flood Insurance Covers Flood Damage. Most standard homeowner’s policies do not cover flood damage.
    • Get all the coverage you need.  Your agent can walk you through the policy.
  • Know your flood risk.  Visit FloodSmart.gov (or call 1-800-427-2419) to learn more about individual flood risk, explore coverage options and to find an agent in your area.
  • Flood insurance covers flood, but there are other affects from flooding that may apply to you.   Damage from mudflows is covered by flood insurance; damage from landslides and other earth movements is not.   Speak to your agent.

NFIP is a federal program and offers flood insurance which can be purchased through private property and casualty insurance agents.  Rates are set nationally and do not differ from company to company or agent to agent.  These rates depend on many factors, which include the date and type of construction of your home, along with your building’s level of risk.

FEMA’s Region 9 office in Oakland, CA has established an El Niño Task Force and is working with the California Office of Emergency Services with the mission of preparing the Region and its partners for the impact of El Niño.  The task force is evaluating the core capabilities needed to protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from any flooding that occurs across the region this winter.  Last month, the FEMA Region 9 Office released its Draft Severe El Nino Disaster Response plan and convened a regional interagency steering committee meeting in Northern California to exercise the plan.

FEMA recognizes that a government-centric approach to emergency management is not adequate to meet the challenges posed by a catastrophic incident.  Utilizing a “whole community” approach to emergency management reinforces that FEMA is only one part of our nation’s emergency management team.

Visit Ready.gov for more preparedness tips and information and follow FEMARegion9 on Twitter.

 

 

 

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More Californians Preparing For Severe El Nino Flood Risk: Residents Purchase 28,000 New Flood Insurance Policies in California

Deadline for Filing NFIP Insurance Claim is 60 Days after Flood Damage

DENVER – The deadline for Colorado residents to file an insurance claim with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is 60 days after flood damage to an insured structure. For example, if the flood damage was on Sept. 10, the claim must be filed by Nov. 9. The flood event began in the mountains Sept. 10, and ended Sept. 30, when flood waters flowed out of state.

To date, NFIP has paid out $21.37 million to 1,167 Colorado policy holders affected by the September flooding.

Floods are the most common and costly natural disasters in the United States.

NFIP policies are sold and serviced through many private insurance companies. The policies cover physical damage to a building or personal property that is directly caused by a flood. For example, damage resulting from a sewer backup is covered if the problem is a direct result of flooding. However, if the backup is caused by something else, the damage is not covered.

Who is Eligible?

Individuals who live in 246 NFIP-participating communities in Colorado are eligible to purchase flood insurance. This includes not only homeowners, but also business owners, renters and those who own condo units. A single-family residential building can be insured up to $250,000 and its contents up to $100,000.

Renters can cover belongings up to $100,000, and business property owners can insure their buildings up to $500,000 and contents up to another $500,000.

Even after a home, apartment or business has been flooded, owners and renters are still eligible to purchase flood insurance if their communities participate in the NFIP. However, this insurance will be for future rather than past damage.

Misconceptions

A common misconception is that regular homeowner and business insurance policies cover flood damage. They generally do not. Another misconception is that NFIP policies pay retroactively for flood damage. Policies generally do not take effect until 30 days after purchase.

Please also refer to floodsmart.gov for more information about flood insurance.

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Deadline for Filing NFIP Insurance Claim is 60 Days after Flood Damage