Need to buy flood insurance

[taximomfor4]

I have never bought flood insurance. My home has been here since 1964 and had never EVER been flooded, we aren't in a flood plain, etc. Well, my county is FLOODED...state of emergency was called. We're lucky, we have no basement and for some reason, no water got into our house. But my mother in law just called. Her basement is under water...she's nowhere near a river or anything. A grocery store parking lot is like a river. Unbelievable.

Anyone interested, it's Lake County Ohio. There is also a search and rescue mission for someone who apparently seems to have fallen into the water.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It is too late to buy it now for you.

When you buy flood insurance it is from FEMA and you have to have it 2 months prior to flooding.

 

[golfgal]

Flood insurance is also grossly expensive. In your mom's case, is the water in her basement from sewer back up or something along those lines? That is usually covered by your homeowners insurance.

 

[taximomfor4]

our house luckily didn't flood. But now that I know it COULD happen, I meant. Sorry, wasn't very clear.

I just didn't have a clue that we could flood. No rivers near us, etc. I don't know why I never considered the storm sewers getting overworked -- apparently, Lake County got almost 10 inches of rain yesterday. My in-laws house must just be flooded from storm runoff, because they too are nowhere near a river.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Flood insurance IS NOT grossly expensive if you don't live in flood plan. I bought it this year and it was a whopping $233. There is a 30-day period before the coverage kicks in. One thing to be prepared for...you need to provide pictures of the outside of your home. I didn't know that and had to later email them to my insurance agent.

I was not going to go through another hurricane season worrying about flooding.

 

[taximomfor4]

Flood insurance is also grossly expensive. In your mom's case, is the water in her basement from sewer back up or something along those lines? That is usually covered by your homeowners insurance.

MIL says her basement water came up out of the sewer, she thinks. At least their street wasn't evacuated to shelters. Us either.

About the insurance thing, if it rained and rained all day, and the street's gutters/storm drains filled, overflowed, and then kept overflowing and eventually reached your house, and flooded it (that's what happened to most people around us), would that be flood insurance or homeowners insurance?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

About the insurance thing, if it rained and rained all day, and the street's gutters/storm drains filled, overflowed, and then kept overflowing and eventually reached your house, and flooded it (that's what happened to most people around us), would that be flood insurance or homeowners insurance?

Flood insurance as it was rising water and there were a number of homes affected.

 

[taximomfor4]

Flood insurance IS NOT grossly expensive if you don't live in flood plan. I bought it this year and it was a whopping $233. There is a 30-day period before the coverage kicks in. One thing to be prepared for...you need to provide pictures of the outside of your home. I didn't know that and had to later email them to my insurance agent.

I was not going to go through another hurricane season worrying about flooding.

You know, whenever hurricane flooding occurs, I watch on the news and feel bad for the families involved in the flooding. But this little bit of flooding we got on our street, and all the streets closed around us including the freeway...I just cannot imagine it on a hurricane-sized scale!

On a lighter note, dd4 looked out side at our back yard yesterday and saw all the water, and said "We better not go out there without PADDLES!"

 

[taximomfor4]

Flood insurance as it was rising water and there were a number of homes affected.

Then I am going to get flood insurance!! Funny thing, our street doesn't even have storm sewers I guess...we have ditches along the sides of the street. We are very lucky.

 

[golfgal]

MIL says her basement water came up out of the sewer, she thinks. At least their street wasn't evacuated to shelters. Us either.

About the insurance thing, if it rained and rained all day, and the street's gutters/storm drains filled, overflowed, and then kept overflowing and eventually reached your house, and flooded it (that's what happened to most people around us), would that be flood insurance or homeowners insurance?

Several years ago that happened in our town, storm sewers backed up into people's basements, through floor drains, showers, toilets, everything. I don't know of anyone that didn't get the damage covered by their home owners insurance, but most people carry a sewer back up clause in their coverage, it is pretty inexpensive, like $10/year so chances are your parents have that.

I suppose the flood insurance costs vary from area to area. We looked into it for our first house, we were not in a flood plain (you can't buy flood insurance if you are in the flood plain) and it was almost $1000/year for our little 900 sq ft house.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or high risk area defined as any land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1-percent chance of occuring in any given year is REQUIRED to have flood insurance.

Premiums are based on risk of course, so if you live within certain categories your cost may be higher or lower (mine was the lowest premium).

 

[mickeyfan2]

Flood insurance IS NOT grossly expensive if you don't live in flood plan. I bought it this year and it was a whopping $233. There is a 30-day period before the coverage kicks in. One thing to be prepared for...you need to provide pictures of the outside of your home. I didn't know that and had to later email them to my insurance agent.

I was not going to go through another hurricane season worrying about flooding.

Did you get it from your homeowners' insurance or a different company?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Did you get it from your homeowners' insurance or a different company?

It's a national program but I bought it through my homeowners' insurance company.

 

[Towncrier]

MIL says her basement water came up out of the sewer, she thinks. At least their street wasn't evacuated to shelters. Us either.

About the insurance thing, if it rained and rained all day, and the street's gutters/storm drains filled, overflowed, and then kept overflowing and eventually reached your house, and flooded it (that's what happened to most people around us), would that be flood insurance or homeowners insurance?

According to the mayor of Eastlake (Ohio), if the flood damage is caused by a backed up storm sewer, flood insurance will NOT cover the damage. That was news to me. Apparently lots of people who bothered to take out flood insurance policies may be in for a shock.

 

[mickeyfan2]

It's a national program but I bought it through my homeowners' insurance company.

Thank you. We don't live in a flood plain and have never gotten water, but I have been thinking about getting flood insurance anyway.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

According to the mayor of Eastlake (Ohio), if the flood damage is caused by a backed up storm sewer, flood insurance will NOT cover the damage. That was news to me. Apparently lots of people who bothered to take out flood insurance policies may be in for a shock.

There has to be a general condition of flooding in the area.

 

[Marie17]

Sewer back-up coverage is USUALLY a separate "endorsement" on a homeowners policy - meaning you pay a little extra for it. Our homeowners policy charges $40 for it.

Flooding is usually defined as water rising (if it comes in through the roof it would be covered by your normal homeowners). If it rose up into the house due to the fact that sewers failed then it would fall under the sewer policy - which usually does not cover as much in damages as a flood insurance policy. A standard sewer policy might just be in the tens of thousands whereas a flood insurance policy can go up into the hundreds of thousands.

 

[Laz]

I grew up in Cleveland, and when I moved to NE Indiana, I was surprised to find that all the basements are poured (no cinderblock), and installed with sump pumps and sewage lift pumps. During our great flood (2003), my pump failed and it was coverd by homeowners. They paid for the restoration.

From experience I will tell you to get in contact with a restoration company right away! The early bird gets the worm. They will have a full docket of homes very quickly, and you will have to wait. Mold starts very quickly. In addition, only so many dryers and de-humidifiers are available in the community.

 

[taximomfor4]

There has to be a general condition of flooding in the area.

There was certainly general flooding in the area!! Residents are asked to stay put today, many roads are closed. Also, streets were evacuated to shelters. The mayor was making that statement specifically about last night's flooding. I don't get it. Then WHAT covers the storm drains getting overfilled?

 

[taximomfor4]

Sewer back-up coverage is USUALLY a separate "endorsement" on a homeowners policy - meaning you pay a little extra for it. Our homeowners policy charges $40 for it.

Flooding is usually defined as water rising (if it comes in through the roof it would be covered by your normal homeowners). If it rose up into the house due to the fact that sewers failed then it would fall under the sewer policy - which usually does not cover as much in damages as a flood insurance policy. A standard sewer policy might just be in the tens of thousands whereas a flood insurance policy can go up into the hundreds of thousands.

I always thought the sewer rider was for, you know, sanitation sewers, not storm drains. ??