Federal authorities are scrambling to warn California residents to get flood insurance ASAP.
El Nino rains are expected to invade the drought stricken state of California, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is warning Californians to get flood insurance as soon as possible.
Roy Wright, FEMA’s deputy associate administrator for insurance and mitigation, said at a press conference that “if there was ever a time to buy flood insurance, this is the time,” according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Even Californians who are living in low to moderate risk areas should prepare and get flood insurance. There is a 30-day wait period for new flood insurance, so Californians need to get it now before it is too late.
A huge number of people don’t have flood insurance who need it: estimates place it at one third to one half of U.S. residents in flood risk areas actually even have flood insurance. A standard homeowner policy doesn’t cover floods. FEMA encourages people to visit FloodSmart.org.
Already El Nino is starting to rear its ugly head, with heavy rains in parts of California that caused mudslides to bury cars and trucks on the freeway in recent weeks. That specific rain was unrelated to El Nino, but it’s a taste of what El Nino may bring this winter after four years of drought. Because the ground is so try, the rain creates floods very quickly.
Many people may not realize that just a few inches of water in their homes can cause incredible damage. The average residential flood claim amounted to about $39,000 from 2010 through 2014.
You should check your insurance policy to see if your flood insurance also covers your personal property and not just your home.
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