Transcript:
Last year, flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes in the Southeast. Tropical Cyclone Beryl brought devastating river floods to Vermont and New York. And this year, flash floods have damaged homes in Kentucky, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Illinois.
Worters: “Floods are the most common costly natural disasters in the United States. Yet flood insurance remains one of the most underutilized forms of protection.”
That’s Loretta Worters of the Insurance Information Institute. She says many people lack coverage because they think flood insurance is included as part of their standard homeowners insurance. But in reality, it must be purchased separately.
Others assume they’re safe from floods because they live inland or because their mortgage lender does not require them to buy flood insurance.
But FEMA reports that about 40% of National Flood Insurance program claims come from outside officially designated high-risk flood zones.
Worters: “We keep telling people, flooding can happen anywhere, even on a mountaintop.”
So Worters hopes people will consider getting flood insurance – no matter where they live.
Worters: “It is probably the largest insurance gap in the U.S., and we just want to educate people about the need to have that coverage.”
Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media
