Everyone Needs Flood Insurance

Answer 1

Insurance providers offer flood insurance separate from their regular homeowner's insurance policies. The insurance companies, that offer flood insurance, provide it with its own costs and terms. Flood insurance is not mandatory for every homeowner. It is only mandatory for those who live in areas that are designated flood areas.

The federal government usually designates those places as flood areas that are close to major rivers or oceans. For those people, who do not live near major bodies of water, they may purchase this insurance; but it is not required. However, it is a smart idea for homeowners to purchase flood insurance if their homes are prone to flooding from such things as excessive storms, snow or ponds, as well.

Flooding can cause a lot of destruction to people's houses, and regular homeowner's insurance does not cover this damage. However, flood insurance will protect homeowners from the devastating damage that these floods can incur. This insurance will cover damage to many things including water heaters, furnaces, furniture, clothing, appliances, rugs, flooring and walls. It will also cover expenses related to sandbags, debris removal and clean-up.

Flood insurance is not that expensive, and the advantages of purchasing it far outweigh the amount of money people would have to pay for repairs and replacements if they did not have it. People, who have homes in areas prone to flooding, may be eligible for a Preferred Risk Policy, or PRP. These policies protect homeowners against any damage caused by flooding.

People can buy this insurance either through the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, or through one of many private insurance providers. Although the government typically backs those private companies that provide flood insurance, people should always check the company's reputation to make sure they will be able to settle a claim if necessary.

The cost of flood insurance varies depending on such factors as the provider that offers it, the amount of coverage people choose and the location of their homes. There are essentially two forms of flood insurance: actual cash value and replacement cost insurance. Actual cash value insurance will replace any property and/or possessions damaged in a flood minus the value of their depreciation. Replacement cost insurance will pay to rebuild people's homes to the same condition as they were before floods damaged them.

One last thing, that people may want to consider when purchasing flood insurance, is excess insurance. Excess insurance will cover anything that the regular flood insurance cannot cover because it would exceed the maximum limit amounts of their insurance policies. Since it will take about 30 days, after people purchase their policies, before they will go into effect; people, who live in flood areas, should consider purchasing flood insurance as soon as possible.