When it comes to flood insurance, the basic explanation is that it's a specific kind of insurance policy designed to cover damage to a building, its contents, and other structures on the property caused by flood waters.
This insurance covers both private residences and commercial properties in areas that are at risk of flooding. Flood insurance policies can include coverage for structural damage, additional living expenses, personal belongings, and cleanup costs.
Floods are a serious threat to property owners in Florida. Due to the state’s location, it is particularly prone to flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms, as well as flooding from heavy rains, and overflowing lakes and rivers.
In fact, Florida, like most states that share the shoreline, is amongst the highest for flooding and home and property damage due to flooding. So we thought it might be handy to put together this list of 8 reasons you need flood insurance in Florida and what it covers:
1. Flood insurance is the best way to protect your financial investments in a structure (home, business, etc.) and its contents from the impact of flooding.
2. Coverage from flood insurance can help you manage the risk that comes with living in an area prone to flooding, like most of Florida.
3. If you're concerned about avoiding potentially high out-of-pocket costs if your property is damaged by a flood, the only way to ensure that is with proper flood insurance coverage.
4. To qualify for some types of federal relief programs related to floods you must have adequate flood insurance coverage in place before the disaster strikes.
5. Adding flood insurance to your policy is the best way to supplement other existing insurance policies, such as homeowners insurance or business owners insurance policies, which typically exclude damage caused by floods.
6. Financial protection is an option with flood insurance, even when flood prevention strategies fail or are overwhelmed by events outside of our control.
7. Protection against losses not covered under most homeowner’s policies is a huge benefit of having flood insurance, especially for things like sewer backups and certain kinds of water damage due to surface runoff caused by heavy rains.
8 . Flood insurance can provide coverage for items stored in basements or crawl spaces during times of flooding which may not be protected on a standard homeowner’s policy such as furniture, carpets, and electronics
It may seem obvious to most, but flood insurance is an important consideration for homeowners in Florida, as the state is particularly prone to flooding. Every year, severe storms and heavy rains can result in major flooding, causing extensive damage to homes and businesses.
In order to protect against the financial burden of repairing or replacing property damaged by floods, it is recommended that homeowners purchase flood insurance.