Nationally, only a few percent of homeowners bother getting flood insurance policies. Federal emergency officials say most counties are now prone to some sort of flood risk and want to increase coverage around the country.
FEMA officials say only 4% of homeowners obtain flood insurance but nearly every county in America, 99%, experiences flooding risk.
It’s a tricky process because flood insurance isn’t provided by many national insurance carriers. Instead, FEMA advises people to buy separate policies through the National Flood Insurance Plan. Jeff Jackson is deputy assistant administrator of FEMA’s federal insurance.
"The way we see it at FEMA is we’re going to see more and more of these flooding events. So we think it’s important for people to protect themselves," he said.
The insurance only provides coverage up to $250,000 and, with some exception for first-time purchasers, there’s a 30 day waiting period before coverage begins.
