{"id":3789,"date":"2018-09-12T14:42:21","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T18:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/?p=3789"},"modified":"2020-01-28T07:12:02","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T12:12:02","slug":"flood-insurance-checkup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/12\/flood-insurance-checkup\/","title":{"rendered":"Flood insurance checkup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hurricane Florence is not your average storm.\u00a0 As it will undoubtedly devastate the area where it makes landfall, it will also wreak havoc along the east coast.\u00a0 Some are already calling it a historic storm.\u00a0 Flooding is expected not just along the coast, but also well into the mainland due to heavy rains.\u00a0 Even my local county (Montgomery County) is bracing for persistent heavy rain even though we are in central MD. In its aftermath, hurricane Florence will be another reminder for Congress to act on a long-term reform<\/a> of the National Flood Insurance Program.<\/p>\n

The National Flood Insurance Program was created 1968 as a result of the aftermath of hurricane Betsy<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0After the 1965 hurricane ravaged the gulf coast, Congress realized that flood insurance should be affordable and widely available to home owners, tenants, and businesses.\u00a0 The National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, and heavy rains.\u00a0 Like other Federal programs, Congress funds the program.\u00a0 However, in recent years, Congress has appropriated short term extensions for the program.\u00a0 The current extension provides funding through November.<\/p>\n

National Association of Realtors President Elizabeth Mendenhall, issued a statement regarding the impending storm and a plea to Congress<\/a> to act on reforming the National Flood Insurance Plan.\u00a0 Mendenhall stated in the September 11th<\/sup> press release that there are an estimated 750,000 homes at risk from a coastal storm surge.\u00a0 Furthermore, there is the potential of an estimated $170 billion of property damage just in the Carolinas and Virginia (nar.realtor).<\/p>\n

Representing the National Association of Realtors, Mendenhall urges Congress to pass a long-term National Flood Insurance Plan by pointing out that \u201cFlooding is the most common disaster in the United States, one that affects Americans in communities both coastal and inland every year.<\/em>\u201d She is correct to say, \u201cIn these times, we are reminded of the importance of peace of mind for property owners with access to quality and affordable flood insurance.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

FEMA\u2019s Flood Smart<\/a> (floodsmart.gov) portal is where you can find more information about flood insurance and protecting your home before and after a flood.\u00a0 Before a storm like Florence, you can reduce your risk by preparing<\/a>.\u00a0 FEMA offers suggestions for flood prepping, which includes (but not limited to): elevating critical utilities; ensuring your sump pump is working and has a battery back-up; install a water alarm in your basement; clear debris from gutters and down spouts; store irreplaceable documents (such as birth certificates, passports, etc.) in a safe, dry place; and of course, build an emergency supply kit that is ready to go when you are.\u00a0 Your emergency kit should minimally include non-perishable food, bottled water, first aid, medicines and a battery-operated radio.\u00a0 Ready.gov<\/a> has checklists and additional preparedness information, including building your emergency supply kit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also recommended to make an inventory of your valuables so as to make filing insurance claims easier.\u00a0 Additionally, know your flood risk level by checking FEMA\u2019s interactive<\/a> flood map (msc.fema.gov\/portal\/search).<\/p>\n

FEMA warns home owners that regardless of your risk zone, flood insurance may be a necessary add-on to your homeowners\u2019 insurance policy.\u00a0 Even if you live in low or moderate flood risk area, you are five times more likely to experience a flood in your home than a fire.\u00a0 Don\u2019t assume your homeowners\u2019 insurance policy covers flood damage.\u00a0 Even if you have a flood rider, your coverage may be limited.\u00a0 Review your policy with your insurance agent to determine if you have flood coverage as well as its limitations.<\/p>\n

Original published at https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/12\/flood-insurance-checkup\/<\/p>\n

By Dan Krell<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Copyright \u00a9 2018.<\/p>\n

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\"Protected<\/a>Disclaimer<\/a>. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hurricane Florence is not your average storm.\u00a0 As it will undoubtedly devastate the area where it makes landfall, it will also wreak havoc along the east coast.\u00a0 Some are already calling it a historic storm.\u00a0 Flooding is expected not just along the coast, but also well into the mainland due to heavy rains.\u00a0 Even my … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Flood insurance checkup”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[569,420,570,390,429,419,219,389,13],"tags":[571,915,1100,926,454,1101,797],"class_list":["post-3789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disaster","category-disaster-prepardness","category-emergency","category-fema","category-flood","category-home-owner","category-homeowners-insurance","category-national-flood-insurance-program","category-real-estate","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-fema","tag-flood-insurance","tag-home-owner","tag-insurance","tag-national-flood-insurance-plan","tag-real-estate"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-Z7","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3789"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5943,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789\/revisions\/5943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}