After last week’s storms, there’s been an influx of flood-related claims. This can look like basement or main floor flooding, carpet, flooring, and appliance damage. Many homes are in designated flood zones and are required to have flood coverage. Floods do not discriminate! Just because your home isn’t in an area that anticipates flooding doesn’t mean you won’t experience it. The best way to protect your home from these unforeseen damages is to anticipate the unexpected and invest in flood coverage for your home.
Let’s do a quick review of flood coverage, what’s covered, and why you might need it.
Flooding can be caused by:
• Pooling or runoff of surface waters from any source, such as heavy rainfall.
• Overflow of inland (lake or river) or coastal waters.
• Mudflows
• Collapse of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water due to waves or water currents.
Why Flood Insurance?
Firstly, we know that where it rains, it can flood! Let’s look at some facts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Almost every property is vulnerable to flooding, even if you’re not in a high hazard area. Almost 25% of the flood insurance claims occur in areas considered to be “low risk” for flooding. Nearly all insurance policies providing multi-peril property coverage exclude flood damage. The average cost of property damage caused by a flood is $39,000, and it can take less than one foot of water to cause it. Floods aren’t only caused by rising rivers or lakes. They also result from levee or dam failures (or intentional releases), clogged storm drains, broken water mains and even collapsed swimming pools. Flooding is the single largest cause of natural disaster in the U.S.
What is covered?
Coverage depends on your specific policy and your needs. Below are some of the most common items to be covered under flood insurance:
• The building and its foundation.
• Electrical and plumbing systems
• Central air-conditioning, furnaces, water heaters, and other equipment servicing the building
• Refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers
Permanently installed carpeting (not in a basement)
• Water extraction/drying, cleaning, and disinfecting
The coverage listed below requires personal property coverage:
• Personal belongings such as clothing, furniture, and electronic equipment (not in a basement)
• Washers and dryers
• Food freezers and the food in them
This will give you solid information to refer to if you are concernedned about your risk of flooding. At Benton White Insurance, we ask that you call us BEFORE you file a claim for flooding damage. We can save you money and time. Those “bad actors” will knock on your door and offer you more than they can deliver – almost every time. We can help you cut through all of that.
THANK YOU for your trust in what we do. We’re here to help. Let us help you if you have a claim. We will make it much easier on you for sure.
TEXT or CALL us at 615.377.1212 or EMAIL us at info@BentonWhite.com. Also, on our website – BentonWhite.com, you can get more claim information and file a claim from the site. Let us know how we can help you as we ‘earn’ your business!
