Overview
Floods can happen anywhere — just one inch of floodwater can cause up to $25,000 in damage. Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Flood insurance is a separate policy that can cover buildings, the contents in a building, or both, so it is important to protect your most important financial assets — your home, your business, your possessions.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency allows you to find your local flood map as well as find resources on their Know Your Risk webpage.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides flood insurance to property owners, renters and businesses, and having this coverage helps them recover faster when floodwaters recede. The NFIP works with communities required to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations that help mitigate flooding effects.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders who have questions about their flood insurance policy or the claims process, and disaster survivors who have general questions about the National Flood Insurance Program, can contact a NFIP representative by:
- Calling the NFIP Call Center toll-free, at 1-800-427-4661.
- For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, call 711 (TTY and other services are available).
- For VRS, please call 1-866-337-4262
Determine Your Flood Risk
Whether you’re a homeowner, homebuyer, tenant, insurance provider, or floodplain manager, it’s important to know and anticipate your current and future flood risk status.
To aid your research, Penn State University, FEMA, and the commonwealth created the Pennsylvania Flood Risk Tool to help you make informed decisions about flood risk. This step-by-step interactive process is designed to help you understand your flood risk and what your next steps should be based on your personalized results.
If you live in a community where flood maps are being updated, determining your flood risk is an important task. Updates to the maps, which are occurring throughout the state, can affect your flood insurance. Learn more below.
How to Purchase Flood Insurance
To purchase flood insurance, call your insurance company or insurance agent, the same person who sells your home or auto insurance. If you need help finding a provider go to FloodSmart.gov/flood-insurance-provider or call the NFIP at 877-336-2627.
Plan ahead as there is typically a 30-day waiting period for an NFIP policy to go into effect, unless the coverage is mandated it is purchased as required by a federally backed lender or is related to a community flood map change.
How flood maps affect you
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) releases the digital flood insurance maps (DFIRMs) on a community-by-community basis.
It is important to investigate your flood risk status and contact your insurance agent to make necessary modifications to your coverage while the maps are still preliminary.
If your building is not currently in the floodplain but will be based on the updated DFIRM, it’s important to purchase flood insurance before the updated maps become effective as you might qualify for a plan at a reduced rate. If your building is currently in the floodplain, it’s still important to check your future flood risk status, as your coverage may need to change based on your situation.
Talking to your insurance provider is recommended if your building is in or out of the floodplain to make sure you are protected.
Some mortgage providers may also require flood insurance if the floodplain is on your property and does not touch your building.
Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs) and Letters of Map Revision (LOMR) enable property owners to request changes or updates to their property’s flood risk status to FEMA.
Learn more about how to request a change to your flood zone designation at FEMA’s website.
If you already have flood insurance, locate a copy of your policy in your files or obtain it from your insurance agent.
If you are not sure if you have flood insurance, contact your insurance agent to inquire. Flood damage is not covered by homeowners insurance; your flood insurance is separate from your homeowners insurance.
There are many things you can do now to reduce the risk to your family and property from flooding:
- Buy flood insurance. Even if you are not located in a high-risk flood zone (known as a Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA), remember that flooding can happen anywhere it rains.
- Reduce your risk from flooding by buying or building outside of the SFHA or consider making changes to your home to protect it against future floods. Learn more through the following resources: Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting: Six Ways to Protect Your Home from Flooding.- Protect Your Property from Flooding.