Do I need flood insurance in low risk areas?

It is possible to avoid unexpected surprises and huge losses when you understand how prevalent floods are in Saint Charles, MO. However, with current storms and hurricane patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable in recent years, prevention is better than cure, and thus you need to purchase sufficient flood insurance from Nieroda Insurance Agency. Interestingly, some homeowners are not sure whether it is advisable to buy flood insurance in low-risk areas. Here are a few considerations.

It is not easy to assess flood risk

According to an article written by various contributors including authors from FEMA, it was established that assessing flood risk can sometimes be confusing. One candid opinion from an interviewee; it is easier to assess earthquake than flood risk. The opinion of scientists and flood risk experts in the article underscored the significance of purchasing flood insurance. Moreover, there have been claims that FEMA is not good at predicting flash floods, because, in most cases, it focuses on river flooding.

Flooding outside high risk flood areas

For example, during the last week of May 2015, 311 calls related with flooding were geocoded from Houston, TX, which was considered a 1% annual chance of floods by FEMA. In other words, a lot of flooding was recorded outside places regarded traditionally as high risk than inside. This is an indicator that you cannot decide that you don’t need flood insurance simply because according to the FEMA map, you’re outside the high risk flood zones.

If you see signs such as erosion or ponding on your property or an elevation by FEMA in relative to the areas close to your home, then you need flood insurance. Moreover, the cost of repairs and replacement after a flood disaster outweigh the flood insurance premiums. Therefore, to be on the safer side, you should purchase flood insurance from Nieroda Insurance Agency. Contact us today for more information about flood insurance in Saint Charles, MO.