Who buys FEMA flood Ins??

[Ingledink91]

Flood

it's all through FEMA, NFIP, Insurance agency's are just policy writers all prices are the same. Very cheap insurance, I have had to use it once.

[topduarte]

Keep in mind with the new flood data being accepted by many cities and counties.

Austin will now consider the existing 500 year floodplain as the new 100 year flood plain. Travis County did the same even though I disagree because the southern Travis County is on par with 3"+ increase from the new data while Pflugerville(northern Travis County) has an increase in intensity of about 1.6".


4,000 homes in Austin were in the old floodplain, that is now increasing to 7,200 homes.


Check with you local Floodplain administrator if ATLAS 14 data is changing your floodplains.

Feel free to pm me here with any questions or text me at 512 947 5537
.

Manny Duarte, P.E. City of Pflugerville Interim Floodplain Administrator

[Atfulldraw]

I was under the impression that ALL flood insurance is FEMA. You just purchase through your insurance company. Rates are all the same for the coverage and zones.

Like captainsling said, I too thought FEMA was the only place to get flood insurance. I was also under the impression it is cheap UNLESS you live in a flood zone. If in a flood zone, price increases the closer you get to a standard flood plane.

Do any of our resident insurance agents know the truth?

.....and God Bless America.

You need to get a different agent if this is what you were told. That is 100% false. It's written out very well and storm surge is only covered by flood insurance.

Correct. Surface water is excluded by the vast majority of homeowners policies. A few will cover it, but it's the exception not the rule.



You can buy private flood insurance.

If you need more that the $250k/100k limits of NFIP, go to Pure and you can add more.

https://www.pureinsurance.com/coverage-solutions/flood

I worked a lot of flood claims during Harvey that maxed out their coverages with less than a foot of water.

I'm getting to the point that I think everyone within 10 vertical feet of a flood zone should be required to have flood insurance, and I'm generally a libertarian.....

[denimdeerslayer]

Nope, I built my house on a hill. If mine floods there wont be much else left.

[TXHUNT3R]

Yes, we flooded once. Don't want to go through that again without insurance.

We are not in a flood zone, so it was cheap. Memorial floods and freak rains got us. I fixed the problem on our land but still worth it for peace of mind.

[MacDaddy67]

My daughter in Kingwood bought it for her home and their business

[curtintex]

Correct. Surface water is excluded by the vast majority of homeowners policies. A few will cover it, but it's the exception not the rule.



You can buy private flood insurance.

If you need more that the $250k/100k limits of NFIP, go to Pure and you can add more.

https://www.pureinsurance.com/coverage-solutions/flood

I worked a lot of flood claims during Harvey that maxed out their coverages with less than a foot of water.

I'm getting to the point that I think everyone within 10 vertical feet of a flood zone should be required to have flood insurance, and I'm generally a libertarian.....

I bought the FEMA policy of $250k/$100k and then I added a private rider to take it to $500k. None of it was too expensive, as I'm well out of the flood plain and water has never been too threatening. My sister and her husband had a FEMA policy with Harvey....4.5' of water later and they were only about a quarter million dollars short.

[Artos]

Thanks gang...check is cut.

30 days to kick in, so if anyone else is on the fence understand you aren't gonna be covered with the storm forming in the gulf.

[axisbuck24]

Correct. Surface water is excluded by the vast majority of homeowners policies. A few will cover it, but it's the exception not the rule.



You can buy private flood insurance.

If you need more that the $250k/100k limits of NFIP, go to Pure and you can add more.

https://www.pureinsurance.com/coverage-solutions/flood

I worked a lot of flood claims during Harvey that maxed out their coverages with less than a foot of water.

I'm getting to the point that I think everyone within 10 vertical feet of a flood zone should be required to have flood insurance, and I'm generally a libertarian.....

Great information Rod! Could you give us a ballpark as to how much an additional policy may cost?

[Huntsman27]

As i posted earlier I have flood insurance through FEMA and have had it since I purchased my current home in 1997. When we bought the house the premium was around $300. I received a notification several years later that the flood zones had been revised and I was now in zone AE and my premium would escalate substantially. It went up to about $1,100 then $1,800 and was up to $2,200 when Harvey hit. I live in Beaumont and did not flood and yet many people who were paying much lower premiums did flood.

I called FEMA to ask why this was the case. they told me all I could do was to to get an updated elevation certificate to my agent to submit to FEMA. I paid $500 for the certificate and my agent got it to FEMA and my policy was reduced by $1,200 per year and I received a $1,200 refund on the current policy year.

I am still paying much more than a lot of folks but I think it is well worth it.

[deerplanter]

You need to get a different agent if this is what you were told. That is 100% false. It's written out very well and storm surge is only covered by flood insurance.

I'll check again but from what I understand is storm surge is created by a wind event so that is why it is converted. Nevertheless the storm surge would have to nr 32' on the upper end of trinity bay to reach me.

[Paycheck]

When I built my house it was not in a flood zone. The surveyor said it was and FEMA said it was not. Bank was the one worried about it. I got it. Cost around 300, 10 years ago. I now pay about $1100 but I lowered my coverage to $150000 when I payed off my house this year.

[Mike]

I'll check again but from what I understand is storm surge is created by a wind event so that is why it is converted. Nevertheless the storm surge would have to nr 32' on the upper end of trinity bay to reach me.

The surge was 22' at Port Arthur during Ike and that was incoming over land, the southern marsh so it was knocked down a lot. I was in a meeting last week and the numbers were differing but figure 1' per mile of marsh is taken off the surge. It could very well hit the 32' over the open water of Trinity Bay, you just never know.

There are specific statements about "wind driven water" not being covered on my Homeowners policy. I would ask your agent directly about the storm surge, he's not making a big commission on FEMA flood policies so he has nothing to lose by being honest. There was a big deal down at the beach of the "wind vs water" argument, which one was it, which was first.

[Mike]

When I built my house it was not in a flood zone. The surveyor said it was and FEMA said it was not. Bank was the one worried about it. I got it. Cost around 300, 10 years ago. I now pay about $1100 but I lowered my coverage to $150000 when I payed off my house this year.

I would really look at what you are saving vs replacement costs. I can tell you that $100K in contents is not hard to get to with only 6" of water in the house Total is pretty close to $250K for the claim.

[deerplanter]

The surge was 22' at Port Arthur during Ike and that was incoming over land, the southern marsh so it was knocked down a lot. I was in a meeting last week and the numbers were differing but figure 1' per mile of marsh is taken off the surge. It could very well hit the 32' over the open water of Trinity Bay, you just never know.

There are specific statements about "wind driven water" not being covered on my Homeowners policy. I would ask your agent directly about the storm surge, he's not making a big commission on FEMA flood policies so he has nothing to lose by being honest. There was a big deal down at the beach of the "wind vs water" argument, which one was it, which was first.

Ike surge came straight up trinity bay and covered all the upper marsh and I 10. The bay was almost level but we are higher than east chambers county so it got concentrated toward Anhauc and Smith point. Beach city is the highest point in the area, but I am going to check into flood insurance. We didn't even have any water in our yard for Harvey.