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Just because you haven't experienced a flood in the past, doesn't mean you won't in the future. Flood risk isn't just based on history, it's also based on a number of factors: rainfall, river-flow and tidal-surge data, topography, flood-control measures, and changes due to building and development. |
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Flood insurance – available in areas prone to flooding. The “flood plains” in the United States are well documented. Anyone purchasing property in those areas must, typically, purchase flood insurance in order to secure a mortgage. However, many lenders are not enforcing this requirement.
This lack of enforcement was revealed during the floods in the Midwest in 1993. Thousands of people lost everything to the floods and had no insurance. Usually, they did not know that they needed flood insurance or even that they were located in a flood plain.
Flood insurance was once strictly the purview of the Federal Government. Now, many private insurers offer it under the “Write Your Own” (WYO) program. Here, coverage is endorsed on a homeowners policy and then reinsured by the Federal Government.
This lack of enforcement was revealed during the floods in the Midwest in 1993. Thousands of people lost everything to the floods and had no insurance. Usually, they did not know that they needed flood insurance or even that they were located in a flood plain.
Flood insurance was once strictly the purview of the Federal Government. Now, many private insurers offer it under the “Write Your Own” (WYO) program. Here, coverage is endorsed on a homeowners policy and then reinsured by the Federal Government.
Who need Flood Insurance?
It happens every year. Flood waters rise. Homes are engulfed. And satellites beam photographs of these catastrophes around the world. Observers console themselves with the thought that it couldn’t happen to them.
But flooding can occur just about anywhere; other than fire, it is the most common and widespread natural disaster. Hurricanes, winter runoff, and heavy rains all cause flooding. And not just for people who live near rivers and other large waterways.
So the question remains: What is a flood? The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) defines flooding as “a general and temporary condition during which the surface of normally dry land is partially or completely inundated. Two adjacent properties or 2 or more acres must be affected.” OK, so it’s only slightly clearer than mud. According to NFIP’s definition, flooding can be caused by any one of the following:
We tend to learn our lessons the hard way. That was tragically reinforced in the spring of 1997 in the upper Midwest, when experts predicted flood waters would be the highest in the 150 years that records have been kept. The devastation was caused by runoff from the snows that hit the upper Midwest and Rocky Mountains. Residents of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota all suffered serious losses.
But flooding can occur just about anywhere; other than fire, it is the most common and widespread natural disaster. Hurricanes, winter runoff, and heavy rains all cause flooding. And not just for people who live near rivers and other large waterways.
So the question remains: What is a flood? The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) defines flooding as “a general and temporary condition during which the surface of normally dry land is partially or completely inundated. Two adjacent properties or 2 or more acres must be affected.” OK, so it’s only slightly clearer than mud. According to NFIP’s definition, flooding can be caused by any one of the following:
- the overflow of inland or tidal waters;
- the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from
- any source such as heavy rainfall;
- the incidence of mudslides or mudflows caused by flooding which are comparable to a river of liquid and flowing mud;
- or the collapse or destabilization of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water resulting from erosion or the effect of waves or water currents exceeding normal, cyclical levels.
We tend to learn our lessons the hard way. That was tragically reinforced in the spring of 1997 in the upper Midwest, when experts predicted flood waters would be the highest in the 150 years that records have been kept. The devastation was caused by runoff from the snows that hit the upper Midwest and Rocky Mountains. Residents of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota all suffered serious losses.
Add Flood Insurance to your Home Insurance Protection Plan
When flooding does occur, it can lead to financial upheaval or ruin if you don’t have the proper kind of insurance. In this case, a basic homeowner’s policy won’t do. You need flood insurance.
Flood insurance is a special policy backed by the federal government, with cooperation from local communities and private insurance companies.
More than 18,000 communities have agreed to stricter zoning and building measures to control floods. Residents in these communities are entitled to purchase flood insurance through NFIP. (Those who own property in certain coastal barrier areas are excluded from the federal program.)
About 200 insurance companies, possibly including the company that already handles your homeowner’s or auto insurance, write and service the policies for the government, which finances the program through premiums.
The average flood policy premium is about $350 a year; some people in low-risk zones can obtain flood insurance for as little as $106 a year.
Flood insurance is a special policy backed by the federal government, with cooperation from local communities and private insurance companies.
More than 18,000 communities have agreed to stricter zoning and building measures to control floods. Residents in these communities are entitled to purchase flood insurance through NFIP. (Those who own property in certain coastal barrier areas are excluded from the federal program.)
About 200 insurance companies, possibly including the company that already handles your homeowner’s or auto insurance, write and service the policies for the government, which finances the program through premiums.
The average flood policy premium is about $350 a year; some people in low-risk zones can obtain flood insurance for as little as $106 a year.
Even though flood insurance is relatively inexpensive, most Americans are unprotected against flood loss. According to the Federal Insurance Administration, of the approximately 10 million households in so-called Special Flood Hazard Areas – the most vulnerable to flood – no more than a quarter are covered by flood insurance.
Yet in these special hazard areas, flooding is 26 times more likely to occur than a fire over the course of a typical 30-year mortgage.
People in less hazardous zones, who are even less likely to have flood insurance, also miscalculate their risks. Almost a quarter of the claims paid out for flood damage come from the low- and moderate-risk zones, where people often think – wrongly – that flooding only happens to people living on river banks.
Clearly, many Americans are gambling – and the odds are not in their favor. To landlubbers, there are many misconceptions about the power of floods and the value of having flood insurance.
Copyright © 2000. The Insurance News Network LLC. Reprinted with permission.
Yet in these special hazard areas, flooding is 26 times more likely to occur than a fire over the course of a typical 30-year mortgage.
People in less hazardous zones, who are even less likely to have flood insurance, also miscalculate their risks. Almost a quarter of the claims paid out for flood damage come from the low- and moderate-risk zones, where people often think – wrongly – that flooding only happens to people living on river banks.
Clearly, many Americans are gambling – and the odds are not in their favor. To landlubbers, there are many misconceptions about the power of floods and the value of having flood insurance.
Copyright © 2000. The Insurance News Network LLC. Reprinted with permission.
Arthur D. Calfee Insurance Agency, Inc. is proudly serving primary home insurance, vacation home insurance, auto insurance, collector car insurance, business insurance, general liability, property insurance, professional liability, contractor's liability, worker's comp, key man, whole life, term life, group or personal disability, & long-term care insurance policies to patrons in the following Cape Cod, Massachusetts towns, communities and villages: Plymouth, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Buzzards Bay, Centerville, Chatham, Cotuit, Craigville, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Hatchville, Harwich, Hyannis, Hyannisport, Marstons Mills, Mashpee, Orleans, Osterville, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, Woods Hole, Yarmouth, and Yarmouthport.
