Flood Insurance - brief overview

Flood has become the number one natural disaster in the United States. Thousands of houses and living areas are damaged each year because of flooding. Nevertheless, paying for repairs can be extremely expensive. 

Many individuals do not know that flood damage is excluded from regular homeowners insurance policies. However, flooding is the greatest risk in many areas, so it is important to get a separate flood policy. Flood insurance is a special type of policy that covers your property in case of flooding.

Flood insurance is a sensible investment, as flooding can occur at just about any point in time, and as well as this anywhere. This type of insurance is easily obtainable, affordable and reasonably priced, as it is partly subsidized by the federal government.

Flood insurance compensates you for the property loss like, damaged building, including the foundation, piers or some other support systems for elevated buildings. In addition, it covers your physical losses caused by a flood. If you are a flood insurance policyholder, your covered losses are fully paid, and you do not have to repay a loan.

Some points excluded from the policy are: buildings that are located entirely over water e.g. boathouses. In addition, structures other than buildings like fences, underground structures, etc. Moreover, patios, walkways, decks, driveways and such types of areas.

Different types of flood insurance are available. The most popular program is that of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that was established in 1968. This program was worked out to assist homeowners in obtaining flood insurance. It regulates the coverage plans being proposed and the prices they are being sold at; this allows many homeowners to have flood insurance coverage on their homes.

Some individuals think that their properties are located outside high-risk areas, and they will not face problems caused by flood in their life. However, it is not so, as flood can occur even outside the identified flood plains. Each year nearly 35% of all claims are paid for the properties that are known as low hazard areas.

You should keep in mind that when you are purchasing a flood insurance policy, it should be done at least 30 days in advance, because this is a standard period for new applicants and endorsements for coverage.

Therefore, my advice is to contact your agent right after reading this article, to purchase flood insurance. They will inform you about your additional questions concerning how to reduce your premiums, how much insurance should be purchased, the amount of contents coverage needed and more.