National Flood Insurance Program

Flooding is nature's most common natural disaster. The average homeowner is five times more likely to incur flood damage than fire damage. The chances only increase if you live in medium or high risk zones. Homeowner's policies may not cover the flood damage, and the out-of-pocket costs can be burdensome.

You would need to look very carefully at what causes the flooding in your area and how high the water near your home rose. Because rainfall amounts are different when a storm moves across an area, a “100-year flood” may occur in some places but not others. There are many factors that can add to flooding, including debris in the waterway, small road culverts and bridges, frozen or saturated ground, and others.

A “Flood” is defined as a general and temporary condition of complete or partial inundation of normally dry land area by surface water, and the surface water can be from any source. In order for damage from the “flood” to be considered under the flood policy, the flood needs to be “a general condition” which means that it must affect two or more properties (one of which is yours) or if it is confined to just your property, it must cover two or more acres of land.

Floods can be slow or fast rising but generally develop over a period of days. Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Investing in mitigation steps now, such as, engaging in floodplain management activities, constructing barriers, such as levees, and purchasing flood insurance will help reduce the amount of structural damage to your home and financial loss from building and crop damage should a flood or flash flood occur.

To understand FEMA's position on floods and flood coverage read:

• NFIP Summary of Coverage
• NFIP Summary of Coverage - Español

You've got a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during the life of your 30-year mortgage.
You're also:

• 5 times more likely to experience flooding than fire.
• More likely to have your home burglarized.
• More likely to have your car stolen.

And you don't have to live in a high-risk zone to be a victim. Almost 25% of all Flood claims come from low- to moderate-risk areas. In fact, 90% of all presidential-declared disasters involve flooding. Even minor flooding can mean major financial burdens.

If you have a federally backed mortgage on a home located in a high-risk zone, federal law requires you to purchase flood insurance to secure a loan. Also, if you've received a federal grant for previous flood losses, you must have a flood policy to qualify for future aid.

You can review forms by following the link to the Forms Library or by contacting an NFIP agent in your area. You can also contact the NFIP Referral Call Center at (888)-379-9531 for assistance in finding a local agent.

No. While your Homeowner's policy may cover fire, tornado or even earthquake damage, most exclude damage caused by flooding - nature's most common natural disaster. Those that cover some flood damage only do so by a specific endorsement, and only for a certain dollar amount. Check with your insurance agent to see what coverage is available.

We know it can be difficult to understand the types of policies available. We recommend contacting a qualified NFIP agent in your area. If you need assistance finding a qualified agent, contact the NFIP Flood Service Center at 1-877-336-2627.

You may choose to do so, but be aware there is a standard waiting period of 30 days before a flood policy becomes effective. If you delay, it may be too late. Insurance purchased in connection to loans or recently rezoned areas are an exception and are effective immediately.

This answer depends on many different variables. Please contact a flood insurance agent to determine if flood insurance coverage is right for your property and then to determine how much that will cost.

Over 19,000 communities participate in the NFIP program. To see if you are in one of these communities you may call NFIP at 1-877-336-2627 to speak with a customer service representative.

You can reach the NFIP Flood Service Center by calling 1-877-336-2627 between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

Generally, under the National Flood Insurance Program, a homeowner (including an owner of a residential unit in a condominium building) may purchase up to $250,000 of building coverage and up to $100,000 in personal property coverage. A business owner may purchase up to $500,000 in building coverage to cover his owned building, and up to $500,000 in personal property coverage to cover his owned inventory and equipment.

If your residence is worth more than $250,000 you will want to speak with your insurance agent about Excess Flood Insurance. This additional insurance could increase the policy coverage up to a total of $750,000. Businesses could extend coverage up to $1 million dollars.

Having a NFIP flood insurance policy on your building and contents does not prevent you from receiving government aid for flood, however, the government aid rules normally will reduce any government aid by the amount of NFIP insurance proceeds received. Normally, if you do NOT have NFIP flood insurance and if you receive government aid for flood damage, you WILL be required to obtain flood insurance coverage because of that aid.

The flood insurance policy defines a basement as any area that has the floor below grade on all sides. This means that if the floor is 12 inches below grade on all sides, 7 feet on all sides, or 7 feet on three sides and 12 inches on the fourth side, it is a basement. If the area is at or above grade on any side, that area is not a basement. Some people are surprised to learn their “walk-out basement” isn't classified as a basement.

Generally, if you purchased Building Coverage, the flood policy will pay for flood-related cleanup, for damage to the furnace, water heater, water softener, electrical and damaged foundation elements. The flood policy will pay to replace unfinished drywall; the flood policy will not pay for any finishes, paneling, doors, millwork, wallpaper, painted surfaces, carpet nor for any finishes in the basement. Generally, if you purchased Personal Property Coverage, the flood policy will only pay for flood damage to clothes washer, clothes dryer, freezer (but not for a refrigerator nor refrigerator/freezer combination) and the food in the freezer.

Dry Flood proofing is available only to commercial properties. A dry flood proofed structure is made watertight below the level that needs flood protection to prevent floodwaters from entering. Making a structure watertight requires sealing the walls with waterproof coatings, impermeable membranes or a supplemental layer of masonry or concrete. Visit our Flood Publications page for more information.

Wet flood proofing a structure consists of modifying the uninhabited portions, such as a crawlspace or an unfinished basement, to allow floodwaters to enter and exit. This can include permanent or contingent measures applied to a structure of its contents that prevent or provide resistance to damage from flooding while allowing floodwaters to enter the structure or area. This method can be used for commercial or residential structures. Visit our Flood Publications page for more information.