OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — After dealing with disastrous flooding in March, many in the Midwest are realizing the importance of flood insurance but might not know how to purchase it.
Floods damage more U.S. homes annually than any other type of natural disaster, a press release from FEMA says. Flooding can happen nearly anywhere, which is why it's important to be proactive.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by FEMA is designed to help protect flood survivors from financial losses. A federal disaster declaration isn't required to be in place for flood insurance claims to be paid out.
Under this program, flood insurance is available to communities that have adopted and enforce certain regulations to lessen flood losses.
There are more than 8,400 NFIP policyholders in the state of Nebraska, and nearly 400 communities in the state participate in the program.
Even if residents don't live in a high-risk flood zone or Special Flood Hazard Area, they can still purchase a flood insurance policy if their community participates in NFIP.
How to buy:
• You can buy flood insurance by contacting your insurance company or agent.
• For an agent referral, call 800-427-4661 or visit fema.gov/national-flood-insuranceprogram.
Coverage is available for residential and commercial buildings and the contents in them:
• Up to $250,000 in building coverage and up to $100,000 in contents coverage for single-to-four family residential structures
• Up to $500,000 in building coverage and up to $100,000 in contents coverage for five-or-more family residential structures
• Up to $500,000 in building coverage and up to $500,000 in contents coverage for businesses
