The lazy days of summer are upon us. So pass the sweetened sun-brewed iced tea with the mini cocktail umbrella and light up a few tiki torches. But don't doze off in that hammock just yet. Along with summer comes the increased chance of severe summer weather. As hurricane season swiftly approaches, homeowners are encouraged to prepare for worst case scenarios.
Eight days shy of hurricane season, time is quickly ticking for consumers to take action against financial ruin in the event of catastrophe. With an increased amount of hurricanes anticipated this season, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration urges folks to prepare for the worst. The NOAA reports that approximately 13-17 storms will be named and seven to 10 will likely become hurricanes.
So what do you need to do to prepare? Don't run to the home improvement store just yet. Plywood and duct tape won't prevent or fix damage from a hurricane. Because hurricanes bring torrential rains and cause extensive flood damage, you need to be sure you've purchased flood insurance.
"But doesn't my homeowner's insurance take care of flooding? I thought homeowner's insurance was supposed to cover things like this?"
While it seems logical that homeowner's insurance would cover flooding, it does not. With FEMA reporting flooding as America's #1 natural disaster, it makes sense to look into purchasing flood insurance.
You have several options when it comes to purchasing flood coverage. The National Flood Insurance Program offers two federal programs. The main stipulation for these programs is that your community must enroll and be an NFIP participant. This flood insurance can be purchased directly from the NFIP or from some insurance agents.
"But do I have to buy flood insurance when there is a national disaster program that will assist me?"
Because both programs provide coverage for flood damage, you don't HAVE to purchase flood insurance. Like many government programs, however, national disaster assistance requires much more paperwork and waiting than flood insurance does.
In addition, flood insurance does not have to be re-paid. Most disaster assistance comes in the form of a loan, so it has to be re-paid over a set amount of time. Disaster assistance is only guaranteed when the president puts it into effect - and even then you have to wait for reimbursement.
In short, keep in mind that FLOOD INSURANCE IS NOT INCLUDED in your homeowner's insurance policy. If you need to apply for flood insurance, start preparing ASAP. Unless you just built your house, there is a 30-day waiting period between when you apply for the insurance and the date it goes into effect. With a little more than a week before hurricane season and 30 days for your policy to take effect, don't let time slip away with the lazy days of summer unless you're insured for flood damage.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Houston Flood Insurance Information
The Houston area has an especially high risk for flood damage. The city is in an area that is at risk for hurricanes that can bring storm surges and very high levels of rainfall. The elevation of the city is close to sea level. The ground is mainly composed of clay that doesn’t absorb water well. There are rivers, streams, and drainage channels that pass through Houston on the way to the gulf. There are bayous for storm water that can overflow with heavy rain and flood nearby areas. Heavy construction in the city often can result in flood problems for surrounding areas. Changing weather patterns from global warming and other factors may result in more intense weather events in the future.
You can visit the fema.gov website to view maps of the Houston areas flood zones. You will find that a large percentage of the city area has an elevated risk of flooding. Areas that have less risk are designated on the flood map as being in B, C, D, or X zones. It is important to remember that residents in low risk zones can suffer flood damage. If fact about 30% of all flood damages claims are from areas considered as lower risk.
We you are considering buying or leasing a residence it is important to consider the risk of flood. Ask your realtor or an insurance agent to tell you the flood zone for the property you are considering. If possible select a location in the B, C, D, or X zone. When you buy a property in a higher risk flood area you should consider the higher cost of flood insurance in your decision.
Flood insurance in most areas is inexpensive. Here is a chart of the current cost for homes that qualify for a preferred rate:
Home Coverage $20,000 Property Coverage $8,000 = $112 per year
Home Coverage $30,000 Property Coverage $12,000 = $138 per year
Home Coverage $50,000 Property Coverage $20,000 = $180 per year
Home Coverage $100,000 Property Coverage $40,000 = $233 per year
Home Coverage $200,000 Property Coverage $80,000 = $296 per year
Home Coverage $250,000 Property Coverage $100,000 = $317 per year
You can visit the fema.gov website to view maps of the Houston areas flood zones. You will find that a large percentage of the city area has an elevated risk of flooding. Areas that have less risk are designated on the flood map as being in B, C, D, or X zones. It is important to remember that residents in low risk zones can suffer flood damage. If fact about 30% of all flood damages claims are from areas considered as lower risk.
We you are considering buying or leasing a residence it is important to consider the risk of flood. Ask your realtor or an insurance agent to tell you the flood zone for the property you are considering. If possible select a location in the B, C, D, or X zone. When you buy a property in a higher risk flood area you should consider the higher cost of flood insurance in your decision.
Flood insurance in most areas is inexpensive. Here is a chart of the current cost for homes that qualify for a preferred rate:
Home Coverage $20,000 Property Coverage $8,000 = $112 per year
Home Coverage $30,000 Property Coverage $12,000 = $138 per year
Home Coverage $50,000 Property Coverage $20,000 = $180 per year
Home Coverage $100,000 Property Coverage $40,000 = $233 per year
Home Coverage $200,000 Property Coverage $80,000 = $296 per year
Home Coverage $250,000 Property Coverage $100,000 = $317 per year
Significant Flood Events
Many experts are forecasting an increase in weather related disasters. The effects of global warming are becoming more obvious and changes in weather patterns may be related to this.
In the United States hurricanes are the most destructive weather related events. Major hurricanes usually result in major flood damage. The year 2005 was the worst year for flood damage in recent history. FEMA generally considers a significant flood event to be when 1,500 losses are paid in a single event. In 2005 FEMA rated 5 hurricane related events in the significant event category. An event with a billion dollars paid in FEMA flood claims would be considered as especially large.
FEMA flood losses paid for hurricane Katrina were in excess of 15 billion dollars. The actual damages were far greater because many homes and business did not have flood coverage. Total damages are estimated at over 80 billion dollars. In addition to economic damages more than 1,800 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in related floods. The effects of damage and impacted lives from this storm will linger for years.
In the United States hurricanes are the most destructive weather related events. Major hurricanes usually result in major flood damage. The year 2005 was the worst year for flood damage in recent history. FEMA generally considers a significant flood event to be when 1,500 losses are paid in a single event. In 2005 FEMA rated 5 hurricane related events in the significant event category. An event with a billion dollars paid in FEMA flood claims would be considered as especially large.
FEMA flood losses paid for hurricane Katrina were in excess of 15 billion dollars. The actual damages were far greater because many homes and business did not have flood coverage. Total damages are estimated at over 80 billion dollars. In addition to economic damages more than 1,800 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in related floods. The effects of damage and impacted lives from this storm will linger for years.
Does Your Insurance Cover Flooding?
Considering the climate is ever changing and the majority of the UK has in recent weeks (June 2007) been suffering from unusual weather and in particular rain and storms, it is now more essential and more important than ever that you know whether or not you are covered by your policy for events such as flooding.
Just recently many people have found that they didn’t have the valuable cover needed, while others were lucky and did, when torrential rains hit the UK and homes were flooded and possessions ruined. This one occurrence is thought to bring around 1,200 claims on insurance for the ones that were lucky enough to have cover.
However a sad fact is that while many people do have insurance for their homes and believe that they are totally covered, a staggering 257,000 of all claims against policies are turned down every year simply because the home owner hasn’t taken out the right policy or they didn’t bother to look at what the policy did and did not cover and have found that they aren’t covered when it comes to making a claim.
One of the biggest reasons why adequate cover isn’t taken is due to the fact that the majority of people simply take the cheapest policy they find while not looking at what the policy entails. While of course everyone wants the cheapest premium, it is also essential that you have the right amount of cover for your needs, while savings are essential on your premium in the long run cheapest isn’t always the best.
When considering your home insurance the number one thing to make sure of is that you have all the cover you need. Using a specialist broker for your home insurance is the easiest way of keeping the cost down and you are able to quickly and easily make comparisons for the same coverage from the information provided by them.
Always remember when comparing policies that they all have hidden exclusions within them and it is essential that you check these out, while one policy might offer the cheapest premiums, it might not include the same cover that a more expensive policy might and as such will cost you more in the long run if you have to pay out for added extras.
Just recently many people have found that they didn’t have the valuable cover needed, while others were lucky and did, when torrential rains hit the UK and homes were flooded and possessions ruined. This one occurrence is thought to bring around 1,200 claims on insurance for the ones that were lucky enough to have cover.
However a sad fact is that while many people do have insurance for their homes and believe that they are totally covered, a staggering 257,000 of all claims against policies are turned down every year simply because the home owner hasn’t taken out the right policy or they didn’t bother to look at what the policy did and did not cover and have found that they aren’t covered when it comes to making a claim.
One of the biggest reasons why adequate cover isn’t taken is due to the fact that the majority of people simply take the cheapest policy they find while not looking at what the policy entails. While of course everyone wants the cheapest premium, it is also essential that you have the right amount of cover for your needs, while savings are essential on your premium in the long run cheapest isn’t always the best.
When considering your home insurance the number one thing to make sure of is that you have all the cover you need. Using a specialist broker for your home insurance is the easiest way of keeping the cost down and you are able to quickly and easily make comparisons for the same coverage from the information provided by them.
Always remember when comparing policies that they all have hidden exclusions within them and it is essential that you check these out, while one policy might offer the cheapest premiums, it might not include the same cover that a more expensive policy might and as such will cost you more in the long run if you have to pay out for added extras.
Claims Are Still Gushing In After Floods
Property owners across Britain have been left devastated after floods that have damaged homes and businesses, and according to forecasts, more flooding is expected this weekend. Last weeks flooding left eight dead with at least 600 injured. The latest downpour has been estimated costing over one billion pounds.
Among the ‘worst hit’ was South Yorkshire, where streets are still desolate and many left homeless; massive clean up operations are underway that have been predicted to last several months. Some residents experienced water up to 5ft throughout the ground floor of their properties, once subsided leaving behind thick mud. In Sheffield the heavy downpour resulted in the River Don and River Sheaf bursting their banks; the lack of transport infrastructure meant many were left stranded.
For those unfortunate enough to have no insurance the damage is immeasurable. Mary Dhonau, coordinator of the National Flood Forum said, “"That's an awful lot of people who can't afford new accommodation and they don't have the money to replace all their items. It's heartbreaking. It's bad enough being flooded but to not have insurance is just the pits."
More insurance claims were made last week than half of an average years total, leaving many insurers struggling to cope. The Association of British Insurers Director General, Stephen Haddrill explains, “Insurers are working as hard as possible to reach customers and to visit properties early. But these events are so widespread that insurers are redeploying staff to affected areas, increasing staffing levels in call centres and undertaking visits to community centres. However, even emergency procedures cannot deliver our normal standards of service. We are doing all we can to help families, elderly customers and those with health difficulties first. We hope that other people can bear with us as we work through the backlog. We will reach everyone as soon as we can.”
Among the ‘worst hit’ was South Yorkshire, where streets are still desolate and many left homeless; massive clean up operations are underway that have been predicted to last several months. Some residents experienced water up to 5ft throughout the ground floor of their properties, once subsided leaving behind thick mud. In Sheffield the heavy downpour resulted in the River Don and River Sheaf bursting their banks; the lack of transport infrastructure meant many were left stranded.
For those unfortunate enough to have no insurance the damage is immeasurable. Mary Dhonau, coordinator of the National Flood Forum said, “"That's an awful lot of people who can't afford new accommodation and they don't have the money to replace all their items. It's heartbreaking. It's bad enough being flooded but to not have insurance is just the pits."
More insurance claims were made last week than half of an average years total, leaving many insurers struggling to cope. The Association of British Insurers Director General, Stephen Haddrill explains, “Insurers are working as hard as possible to reach customers and to visit properties early. But these events are so widespread that insurers are redeploying staff to affected areas, increasing staffing levels in call centres and undertaking visits to community centres. However, even emergency procedures cannot deliver our normal standards of service. We are doing all we can to help families, elderly customers and those with health difficulties first. We hope that other people can bear with us as we work through the backlog. We will reach everyone as soon as we can.”
Floods And Home Insurance
The recent severe weather has brought misery to many people as a result of unprecedented levels of flooding. The floods have highlighted that for many people flooding is fast becoming a fact of life with more than 2 million homes now at risk from coastal or inland flooding.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates that some 27,500 homes and 7,000 businesses were affected by the floods and the total cost of claims is thought to be 1.5 billion pounds. The clean up is now well underway although there have been some media reports that Insurance Companies have been dragging their feet and slow in processing claims.
The Government met the ABI on 10th July 2007 Following the meeting Stephen Haddrill, ABI Director General said "Insurers are doing all that they can to deal with the impact of the floods, including getting people re-housed in temporary accommodation and making provision for early payments to help deal with immediate hardship. Where cover has been taken out against business interruption through flooding insurers are helping those businesses to keep trading."
The floods have highlighted just how important it is to have the right building and contents insurance cover in place. Tragically many households had no insurance in place at all, some estimates put people holding no home insurance as high as 25 percent.
Home insurance is normally separated into two types of cover, buildings insurance - this covers the structure of your home and fixtures and fittings, and contents insurance - which covers all furniture and personal possessions, basically everything you'd pack up and take with you if you moved.
You can have both types of cover combined into one policy through one insurer or insure your buildings and contents separately though two different insurers. Cover will normally protect building and contents against the major risks of fire, storm damage, flood damage and theft, policies may also cover many additional risks as well.
Home Insurance quotes are rated on many factors including post code, occupation, type of property, and age of property. Insurers will often require adequate security including window locks and door locks. Insurers will often offer discounts for example for being a member of a neighbourhood watch scheme or having an intruder alarm fitted.
Nowadays there are many methods to obtain home insurance, often it is set up at the time of house purchase where the mortgage lender will insist that building insurance is in place before they will lend the money. Alternatively people may use an insurance broker, high Street bank / Building Society or you can get a home insurance quote on line via the internet.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates that some 27,500 homes and 7,000 businesses were affected by the floods and the total cost of claims is thought to be 1.5 billion pounds. The clean up is now well underway although there have been some media reports that Insurance Companies have been dragging their feet and slow in processing claims.
The Government met the ABI on 10th July 2007 Following the meeting Stephen Haddrill, ABI Director General said "Insurers are doing all that they can to deal with the impact of the floods, including getting people re-housed in temporary accommodation and making provision for early payments to help deal with immediate hardship. Where cover has been taken out against business interruption through flooding insurers are helping those businesses to keep trading."
The floods have highlighted just how important it is to have the right building and contents insurance cover in place. Tragically many households had no insurance in place at all, some estimates put people holding no home insurance as high as 25 percent.
Home insurance is normally separated into two types of cover, buildings insurance - this covers the structure of your home and fixtures and fittings, and contents insurance - which covers all furniture and personal possessions, basically everything you'd pack up and take with you if you moved.
You can have both types of cover combined into one policy through one insurer or insure your buildings and contents separately though two different insurers. Cover will normally protect building and contents against the major risks of fire, storm damage, flood damage and theft, policies may also cover many additional risks as well.
Home Insurance quotes are rated on many factors including post code, occupation, type of property, and age of property. Insurers will often require adequate security including window locks and door locks. Insurers will often offer discounts for example for being a member of a neighbourhood watch scheme or having an intruder alarm fitted.
Nowadays there are many methods to obtain home insurance, often it is set up at the time of house purchase where the mortgage lender will insist that building insurance is in place before they will lend the money. Alternatively people may use an insurance broker, high Street bank / Building Society or you can get a home insurance quote on line via the internet.
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