Smith Buckley and Hunt Insurance's Blog

Do you have flood insurance?  Do you know that floods are the number one natural disaster in the USA and that floods of only a few inches of water cost people tens of thousands of dollars in repair?  Do you know that floods are NOT covered by standard homeowners insurance ?

Homeowners insurance is something we seem to set up once and forget about, until we need it.  It is just as important to find out what isn't covered as it is to find out what is covered.  Floods are not covered under standard homeowners insurance.   You need to purchase a separate policy.  Floodsmart.gov defines a flood as: "Anywhere it rains, it can flood.  A flood is a general and temporary condition where two or more acres of normally dry land or two or more properties are inundated by water or mudflow."  Flood insurance is offered through the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) and covers homeowners, renters, and business owners (as long as their community participates).  It needs to be purchased through an agent and will cover your property and possessions, with some limitations and exclusions.

Here is where SBH's 5 Star Insurance Agent customer service comes in:

A Happy Ending for a SBH Flood Insurance Customer

In August 2011 a customer came to us to purchase flood insurance.  They were located in a high risk zone (FEMA maps) and the premium was going to be about $2,000.  The agent did some due diligence and checked the historical flood maps to find that the property is actually in a low risk zone.  The finding was submitted to the FEMA map department and they agreed to the change of category.  This saved the customer nearly 44%, over $850.

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