Your Homeowners Policy Isn't Enough

Losses due to flooding are not covered under most Homeowners policies. You can, however, protect your home and its contents through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), if your community is participating in the program.

To become eligible, a community first enters the emergency phase of the NFIP by adopting preliminary actions to reduce the threat of flooding. Everyone in the community can then apply for limited amounts of flood insurance at federally subsidized rates.

Much higher levels of insurance become available when a community qualifies for the regular phase of the program. This occurs after FEMA has conducted a detailed study and local officials have enacted more stringent measures to safeguard life and property from future flooding.

To find out more about flood insurance and whether your community is eligible, simply contact us.

Other Facts You Should Know

Flood insurance is available on almost any enclosed building and its contents. This includes homes, condos, mobile homes on foundations, businesses and farms. The contents of a rental unit are also insurable.

During the program's emergency phase, single family homes can be insured up to $35,000 on the building and $10,000 on the contents. These amounts increase to $250,000 on the building and $100,000 on the contents under the NFIP's Regular Phase.

There is a 30-day waiting period for a new application except for the following situations:

• Flood insurance will be effective the date of closing when the initial purchase is in connection with the making, increasing, extending or renewing of a load providing that the policy is applied for and payment is made at or prior to the loan closing.
• Flood insurance will be effective the date the policy is applied for and payment is made when flood insurance is requested as a result of a lender determining that a loan which does not have flood insurance coverage should be protected by flood insurance.
• Flood insurance will be effective one day following the date the policy is applied for and payment made when the purchase of insurance is in connection with the revision or updating of a Flood Hazard Boundary Map or Flood Insurance Rate Map. The insurance must be applied and paid for within the first 13 months of the map revision. This applies when the property is now determined to be in a Special Flood Hazard area. At the time of title transfer, coverage becomes effective immediately.

When a loan is secured by improved real estate or by a mobile home which is located in a Special Flood Hazard area, existing law requires that flood insurance must be purchased if the loan is made, increased, extended or renewed by a Federally Regulated institution.

Law requires the purchase of flood insurance if a property is located in Special Flood Hazard areas, however one-third of all losses occur outside the Special Flood Hazard area.

Amounts of Insurance Available

The following limits of insurance are available through the National Flood Insurance Program. Please contact our agency to determine whether your community is in the emergency or regular phase.

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