Flood insurance is the most common cause of loss from a natural disaster.
Flood insurance covers losses directly caused by flooding. Flooding is defined as rising water. It is defined as an excess of water on land that is normally dry, affecting tow or more acres of land or two or more properties.
States do not require homeowners to purchase flood insurance. If a home is in a high-risk flood zone, as determined by FEMA, a lender will typically require the homeowner to purchase and maintain flood insurance at all times.
Insurance premiums are based on risk of loss. The higher the probability of loss, the higher the cost to insurance against that risk. The more likely a home is prone to flooding, the more expensive the flood insurance will be.
Floods are the most common type of natural disaster in the world. Over 40% of natural catastrophes involve flooding.
An elevation certificate (EC) is a document that is prepared by a licensed surveyor. It should include the FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Map, flood elevation, flood zone, and other details about the building.
Home insurance, or homeowners insurance, does not typically cover damages or losses caused by flooding. It is recommended that homeowners purchase a separate flood insurance policy to protect against this risk.
FEMA is short for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Secuirty. It was initially created under President Jimmy Carter.
NFIP is short for the National Flood Insurance Program. It was created in 1968 by the Congress of the United States. The program has two purposes. The first purpose being to share the risk of flood losses through flood insurance. The second to reduce flood damages by restricting floodplain development.
Additional Living Expense is not typically covered by flood insurance.
Zones V, VE, A or AE are all designated as special flood hazard area zones. This means that these properties are projected to have a greater than one percent change of flooding in any given year.