It’s one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” type things, particularly if you and your family took a week-long spring break trip.

Insurance companies sent out letters to more than a million homeowners with flood insurance policies telling them to prove that they live in their insured properties — or face premium increases of 25 percent each year, “effective June 1.”

The problem for some of these homeowners is that the letters were mailed in mid-April and arrived while they were on vacation.

Even if you saw it, the letter was one of the typical insurance letters with lots of legalese. It probably puzzled policyholders as to just what it means. And, if and when they figure it out, they might have to rifle through their safe-deposit boxes to prove where they actually live.

Biggert backstory

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is $24 billion in debt. In 2012 Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Act, which would boost flood insurance premiums to make up for this monstrous shortfall.

What Congress forgot was that homeowners in flood-prone areas couldn’t pay these huge increases and so would be forced out. And things only got worse when Superstorm Sandy hit later that year. Those who live along the New Jersey and New York coastline are still trying to scrape together the money to rebuild.

Congress listened to angry voters and — in a rare bipartisan move in March both Congress and the President modified Biggert-Waters to slow down the flood insurance rate increases.

Prove it, and now

This helps, but only if you are the homeowner of record — and can prove it — in a hurry. These letters from insurance companies which administer the flood insurance program for the NFIP, demand documented proof showing that you live in the flood-insured property. Proof can be in the form of:

• Voter registration card.
• Documentation of where your child or children attend school.
• Driver’s license or similar document.

Flood insurance has drastically changed since hurricane Sandy and the flooding that we experienced in Middle Tennessee in May, 2010. We offer the FEMA rated flood insurance policies from our portfolio of carriers and would be glad to quote flood coverage for you. Average rates for our area to insure your home are between $350 and $550 per year. We would be glad to custom quote flood insurance for your home. Just EMAIL us at info@BentonWhite.com or contact one of our team members at 615.377.1212.