In recent months the United States has experienced several catastrophic flooding events, not least from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Flooding is a potent and devastating force of nature. It can leave widespread damages to your home, property and personal items.
Insuring your home against floods means getting insurance before flooding threatens. If you have the right coverage in place, you can better address the damage left over. Take a look at the ways specialized flood insurance can protect your home.
Flood Insurance is a Specialized Policy
Most often, a standard home policy will not cover damage from weather-related floods. For example, if a hurricane leads to flooding, homeowners insurance may pay for limited water damage. However, it will likely not cover water damage from rising waters like storm surge or river overflows.
Only in certain circumstances will a home insurance policy cover certain flood damages. For example, if a hurricane causes roof damage and rain enters your home, a policy might provide a payout. Additionally, a policy might provide coverage for flood damage related to burst pipes or in-home floods.
Still, limits may still exist even with this home insurance coverage. Talk to your insurance agent about how to adjust your home insurance for flood coverage. Nonetheless, even if you can add water damage riders to your home insurance, never forget to inquire about separate, comprehensive flood insurance.
Get Flood Insurance Before a Flood Strikes
Flood insurance has multiple rules and federal regulations. Therefore, policies often come completely separately from a home insurance policy. Flood policies often cover large amounts of damages to most parts and contents of a home. However, they may limit coverage for certain areas like basements, patios, fences and certain personal items.
You should always establish flood insurance coverage before a flooding event strikes. This can help ensure that you have appropriate coverage at an affordable price. Residents of high-risk flood zones need this coverage the most. They can often receive assistance from programs like the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which helps manage the flood insurance marketplace.
Do not wait until the last minute to get this coverage. If a massive weather event threatens, many insurers expect procrastinators to want coverage. Therefore, flood and home insurers typically place moratoriums on new policies in the lead-up to certain events. They likely will not issue new policies at that time.
Get Stuart FL flood insurance now. Call R.V. Johnson Insurance at 772.287.3366 for a fast, free quote on an affordable policy.