Have You Checked Your Flood Protection Today?

Homeowners insurance is not enough to protect your property from flood damage.

Floods are one of the most common and widespread types of natural disasters. Most U.S. communities experience some degree of flooding after spring rains, heavy thunderstorms, hurricanes, or the melting of winter snow.

According to the Federal Insurance Administration (FIA), only about one-quarter of the homes in areas most vulnerable to surface water/flood damage are properly insured. In those high-risk areas, flooding is 26 times more likely to occur than a fire during a typical 30-year mortgage period.

Don’t risk financial ruin. Get surface water/flood insurance.

Whether you are in a low to moderate or high-risk flood community, your property can be affected by flood damage. If you don't have the proper insurance coverage, then you may be risking financial ruin. To protect your property and your finances, NIA recommends surface water/flood insurance — a special policy backed by the federal government, with cooperation from local communities and private insurance companies. This policy can be obtained through your NIA Personal Insurance Services advisor.

“We all know of flooding stories where the homeowners did not realize that they needed to protect themselves with a standalone surface water/flood insurance policy,” says Dale Krupowicz, Vice President of the VIP Personal Services Division at The NIA Group and Kornreich-NIA. “Many homeowners mistakenly assume that their homeowners policy covers them. We urge our clients to check now and make sure they have the protection they need. “

Determine your flood risk.

You can check your community’s flood risk level by visiting the FEMA web site at http://www.fema.gov/fema/csb.shtm. The site has a listing of the U.S. communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. Each community has been mapped and assigned a zone designation.

Get the coverage you need.

To determine if you are eligible for and to obtain surface water/flood coverage, contact your NIA or Kornreich-NIA insurance advisor or Rick Bingham at rbingham@kornreich-nia.com or 212.850.0107 ext. 4060.