What is the need of flood insurance?
Regardless whether you inhabit a house far away from the coastline or any source of water, one should be aware of the threat coming from above. It really does not matter if during a lifetime the parents did not encounter heavy rain as long as their children are automatically subject to the greenhouse effect.
Under this governance, the possibility of a serious flood is greater day by day. Satellite images testify about faster melting ice caps, rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. The frequency of hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons is greater than ever, quite the opposite of flood insurance awareness. The annual flood damage rate is estimated to go 20 times higher by the end of the century; this makes it a matter of global importance.
The flood insurance is one of the elementary components of each home owner insurance policy. Despite this verity, very few people signed for a policy from the last known flood giant, mentioned few lines above. Making inquiries about such wouldn’t be late not even at this very moment.
Suppose you inhabit a house on the top of a hill, how long would you be flood skeptical? Probably till hearing of mudslides.
Depending on where you actually live, the rates for flood insurance can vary like crazy: areas known for flood generally have higher rates as they are more likely to encounter one. A highly quotable home will need more payment for the coverage of future damage.
Speaking of damage, it is highly recommended to underline the following: it must not necessarily mean that a high quantity of water is the equivalent of a flood; even inches of water are enough to turn your dream house into a nightmarish manor. Moldy facades will always remind residents of New Orleans of the august water level.
Generally, although it might sound unreal, the chances to suffer damages by fire are less probable than flood itself. Flooding can be taken for a universal danger: from snowmelt to manmade water systems, the chances are almost endless. It can strike anytime and anywhere, in fact the risk in certain areas is so high that the government itself has taken measures to inform residents about the imperativeness of the flood insurance.
The message sounds very clear: better pay less today than to pay the ultimate price tomorrow. Flood insurer providers have a professional way of handling calamities: maps determine whether somebody lives in a low risk or high risk area. The insurer is not a deity, in exchange for the security plan, he expects you to take measures in order to maintain a certain security level. The worst case scenario is to be refused for living in a constantly high-risk area.
Unfortunately floods cannot be prevented, but still people could do something to diminish the damages. Here are some tips and tricks:
- Replacing concrete floors with wooden ones
- Replace bathroom and kitchen units with plastic ones
- Moving electrical appliances as far as possible from a probable flood level
- Deployment of one-way valves might insulate unwanted drainage
- When moving into a new house it is mandatory that you check about it, it might be on a flood plain and there is nothing worse than this, with the exception of having such a house without any flood insurance policy at all.
The bottom line is that if you value your home and everything within it; then please do not waste precious time, or it will be too late. It is clever thought to have flood insurance as the latter one compensates for damages occurred on declared possessions.