Flood insurance, contrary to popular belief, is not an optional extra on a homeowner’s policy.  It is an entirely separate policy that needs to be purchased and a recent, excellent article in the Sarasota Herald underlines some interesting, though horrendous, facts about flood.  Quoting from the article, “For an average 2,000- square-foot home on a concrete slab, an inch of water inside causes $21,000 in damage, according to federal figures.”  There is a link to the full article below, with much of the focus on storm surge maps, yet homeowners should remember that flood can be caused by heavy rain accumulating and inundating two or more properties or two or more acres.  Given the intense rainfall that the Gulf Coast experiences, this is a far from impossible scenario, so homeowners should carefully consider whether or not to buy flood coverage.  I have heard customers tell me that “we are not in a Flood Zone,” yet everybody is in a Flood Zone, though some are more at risk than others.  For the so-called “not in a Flood Zone” people, a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) is available which, currently, charges $365 premium for $250,000 of buildings coverage and $100,000 of contents coverage with only a $1,000 deductible on each section.  That may very well turn out to be the best $365 you’ll ever spend.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20111022/ARTICLE/111029841

Please call Steve Adams on 941-373-1313, or email me at sha@adamsiac.com for more information.