Hurricane Helene, Climate Change, and Flooding
The very real impact of climate change on our lives means making sure your home and business are protected from a flood event.
Here we are again, with parts of the US assessing the aftermath of another catastrophic event. Hurricane Helene has caused devastation across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and parts of Ohio. The initial damage reported from the storm was the flooding caused by the storm surge in Florida. Many if not most people affected by the surge living in flood zones did not have flood insurance, so hopefully some financial relief will come from the Federal Government and the State of Florida.
But how about the widespread, catastrophic flooding that ravaged the other five states, with buildings submerged or destroyed and bridges and roadways washed away? Very few people imagined this could happen to them and they would lose their homes and businesses. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this disaster.
As a recent article for The Atlantic explains, so many of those people affected did not have flood insurance so their losses will not be covered by their homeowners insurance [see link below].
Many lending institutions in certain areas and zones require borrowers to buy flood insurance. This requirement is mainly to protect the banks’ investment, but it also helps the property owners. If you don't have a mortgage, then this coverage is not required. Even so, why take this chance? With climate change having a greater impact on weather patterns, causing more frequent and more intense storms, more and more people will be affected.
Protecting yourself with flood insurance will keep you covered for the damages caused by natural disasters–the minimum requirement for claims is only two properties contingent to each other to be affected, and one of those properties would include yours.
Note: any damage which occurs inside your property which causes additional damage, such as broken pipes or the sewer backing up, would not be covered under a flood policy. Structural damage caused by flooding would be. And as an option, flood insurance can include personal property coverage, with property owners choosing the amount of coverage.
It’ll take a real shift in thinking for people to accept that buying flood insurance has become more of a necessity, and not only for people living in designated flood zones. If you don’t think climate change is real, or a cause for common disasters such as a flood, think again. You may be dealing with some very real consequences.
Call us for more information, and we will provide the straightforward approach you should take to help protect your property.
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