Do you Need Flood Insurance?

If you live in a flood prone area, your home insurance policy alone is not enough for you as most of the home insurance policies do not cover damages caused by floods. But some governments have supported national flood insurance policy which can cover the damage caused by the flood. Check out the article to know what flood insurance has in store for you. This article covers

• The need for flood insurance
• The information on flood insurance
• Homeowners Insurance policy And flood Insurance

If your home is flooded, the damage could cost thousands of dollars. This is because fast-moving flood waters -- causes not only property damage and damage to your personal belongings, but can also undermine the structural integrity of your home. Inaddition you may need to pay to get parts of your home drained of flood water even after the flood waters recede. Flood insurance is a useful way to safeguard yourself against these costs. However, home flood insurance is not included on most home insurance policies - you must apply for this coverage specifically. Luckily, a government-supported national flood insurance option allows you to get federal flood insurance on your home from many major insurance providers. If you haven't already, you will want to insure your home via the national flood insurance program.

What Is Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance is a type of insurance policy offered by the federally supported NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) through most insurance companies. Like other types of insurance, there is the policy limit which is the maximum you can claim on this policy. There is also a premium that you must pay to be covered under this insurance. The premiums for flood coverage range from just over $100 to a few hundred dollars a year.

If you have flood coverage and your home is flooded, an insurance provider will pay you for the damage which has been caused by the flood so that you can rebuild or replace your home and personal property. In this type of coverage, the actual definition of flood is important, since insurance providers will not protect you from just any water damage under this policy. Specifically, insurance companies will cover you if a body of water has temporarily increased in volume or has otherwise moved on to land which is normally dry. This movement must affect more than one property and the water involved in this situation must stay on the ground for some time. For example, if a very heavy rain causes floods in your basement and the rain cannot be absorbed by the soil surface quickly, flood coverage will enable you to reimburse you for your losses. Flood coverage will also cover you in case of mudslides that are caused by flash floods or extreme precipitation. If a river, sea, or lake which is located nearby near your home rises above its water bank and flood your home then such losses will be covered under flood insurance.

It is important to note that your home insurance policy will not cover you against flood damage. You need specific additional flood coverage for this purpose. Also, you need to apply for flood coverage well in advance of an actual flood situation. This is because most flood coverage only takes effect 30 days after you have applied. This means that if there is a flood that is threatening your area and you only apply now, your coverage may not become active in time to actually save you from the financial cost of the flood. If you do have flood insurance, it will cover your personal property as well as the structural damage caused to your home by the flood.

Do You Need Flood Insurance, Even If You Do Not Live In an Area Affected By Frequent Floods?

You can find out whether you live in an area that is affected by flood by contacting your local county, your local weather bureau, or your local environmental department. They can tell you how many floods have been in your area recently and can tell you whether floods pose a serious risk in your location.

However, even if your home is not directly in the route of frequent flooding, flood insurance may still be a good idea. Heavy precipitation and rains can in fact cause basement flooding in all areas.Without flood insurance, you will not be covered in such an event.

Continue to:Homeowners Insurance Policy and flood insurance