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Flood Insurance Rates Alabama | Flood Insurance Alabama

 

Does my Alabama homeowner insurance cover flooding?

A typical Alabama homeowners’ policy is written through Farmers, State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive, for instance, excludes flooding as something that will be covered under their homeowner’s policy.

In most cases, the only way to get flood coverage is by purchasing a stand-alone flood insurance policy. However, you should ask your homeowners agent if you can add an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy to cover flooding. Yet, don’t be too surprised if the answer is NO.

Do I need flood insurance in Alabama?

It is important to have flood insurance coverage in Alabama because our beloved Cowboy State has seen a fair share of flooding, and more is likely coming.

Most homeowners think about Flood insurance in Alabama at some point, maybe before buying a home or during the closing process. Many of us only think about it when a big storm looms. Or we hear on the news that flooding is forecasted, or we see water too close to our home.

If your home or business is in a flood zone, that is considered a low flood risk area. Sadly, many homeowners decide to forgo purchasing coverage because they believe they are safe from flooding. Some real estate and insurance agents may even say you don’t need it.

I ask you to consider the facts: 20 percent of all flooding events across our nation come in areas that are considered low risk. After our last few major storms (Hurricane Harvey), we saw flooding in these low-risk areas. 80 percent of these individuals had water in their homes or building and didn’t have flood insurance coverage.

Alabama Flood Zone Map

In Harris county, nearly 135,000 homes were damaged. Three-fourths of these properties were considered low to moderate risk.

We often hear that people believe the government will help, which is true. However, a few things must align for you to get government assistance.

1. The president of the United States must declare the flooding event a state of emergency. If this doesn’t happen, then there won’t be assistance. 
2. Homeowners get average assistance after a flood when they do not have flood coverage is $5,000. The average cost of damage to one’s property after a flood is $38,000+. That $5K you get from the government? It comes as a loan, and you will need to pay it back. Are you willing to gamble on your financial future by forgoing flood insurance coverage?

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-fema-faulty-flood-maps/

Alabama Flood Map

One more note on these low-risk flood zone maps. Many of these maps are over 40 years old. If the area has been developed, there is likely more concrete, creating a barrier for land that previously might have absorbed the massive downpour.

Because of all these factors, it is difficult for property owners to know their true risk of flooding. FEMA admits that their flood maps only give an idea of part of the risk. Our recent storms are facts that it can rain anywhere within Alabama, and you should consider getting flood coverage so you are not uninsured when you need it most.

FEMA flood zone maps often take years to go into effect after the terrain was studied. This gives the impression that the area is “more up to date” than it is.

The average cost for Alabama flood insurance in these Low-risk areas is $595 per year.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and all federally backed lenders rely on these Alabama flood insurance maps to assess risk, set premiums, and determine who is required to purchase flood insurance. Bad information about an area’s flood risk can leave property owners under or uninsured.

How much is flood insurance in Alabama?

Alabama NFIP flood insurance.

There are many options available in Alabama regarding flood insurance, but they fall into two main categories. The Government Policy also called the NFIP or FEMA, and the Private flood insurance market.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), also known as FEMA, is the government option for flood insurance. The NFIP has enjoyed a 50-state monopoly on the flood insurance market.

Not “private flood insurance” but NFIP Resellers

Suppose you have Nationwide Flood Insurance, State Farm Flood Insurance, Progressive Flood Insurance, or any of the logos below. In that case, you are buying the NFIP flood policy that is just being resold through a government program. These companies are private companies, but their flood insurance is not. Here is a list of the 70 companies that resell the NFIP policy.

https://www.fema.gov/wyo_company

 

Alabama private flood insurance market

There are alternatives to NFIP or government insurance. It is called Private flood insurance, most notably Lloyds of London Flood insurance. However, there are other options available in Alabama. We shop all the options for your property in your region to ensure you are getting the best premium. Please click here if you are ready to have us do the work for you. 

Our shopping includes the NFIP because sometimes we find that you can get a much better premium with government subsidies.

Flood insurance quote in Alabama

Lloyds of London Flood Insurance Alabama Market

Alabama is fortunate to have many Lloyds of London flood insurance options. Although many Lloyds flood insurance companies will have you assume that there is only one option, nothing could be further from the truth.

Lloyds of London has a rich history attributed to having invented the first modern insurance model. Unlike most of its competition, Lloyds of London is not a company but a corporate body. This structure works well since it has been around for over 330 years. Lloyds operates under multiple financial backers pooling their capital to spread the risk.

 

Alabama Flood Zone Map

I have two blog posts that deep dive into Lloyds of London and what they mean to Alabama’s flood insurance market. If you are interested, the links are below.

Lloyds of London Flood Insurance

Private Flood Insurance vs. FEMA

Lloyds also ensures world flood insurance, which covers flooding events in India, Australia, and much of Europe. The “game” of insurance is to spread your risk since Lloyds is worldwide.

My joke here is that Lloyds is banking on God’s promise that he won’t flood the entire world again, …..so they won’t have to pay out the whole world’s flood claim.

How much does flood insurance cost in Alabama?

Many factors go into getting the cost of flood insurance for Alabama. If your home is in what is considered the low-to-moderate risk, you can get a heavily subsidized policy through the government.

 

Alabama flood insurance low-to Moderate Risk rate and cost.

This is Flood Zone X, which is not lender required flood zone. 

This is usually identified as an X-flood zone. Then we would suggest the government Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) which is a subsidized policy and has set flood insurance coverage limits (see the grid below):

 

NFIP Maximum Coverage Limits

Here is a link if you want to really dig into this one. Be ready for an eye chart because every option is a public record and should be standardized to accost whoever writes these policies.

 

The average cost for flood insurance in Alabama with the maximum set limits in these Low-risk flood zone areas is $405 – $700 per year.

https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1523307331106-4cf9726b2eb04c3471a3e9d37a58fa6a/09_prp_508_apr2018.pdf

 

FEMA High-risk Rates

Your property is in a higher-risk flood zone. It is usually identified with a Flood Zone AE. Your lender will require you to have flood insurance. The cost of flood insurance in Alabama depends on many factors unique to the structure. We will try to give you an idea of the most common homes we see in Alabama with a slab-on-grade foundation.

We will look at the Alabama cost of flood insurance for the NFIP maximum of $250,000 for the (building only) with NO CONTENTS and our recommended deductible of $5,000.

We will be rating this example on the NFIP and a few of our private flood insurance policies, specifically Lloyds flood insurance options in Alabama.

Cost of Flood Insurance in ALABAMA in high-risk flood zone AE 

Our example is Baldwin, but the premiums will be the same in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Huntsville, Mobile, and many other Alabama flood ones.

In our example, the Base Flood Elevation (BFE is 530) and is a home that is built before 1973

NFIP option in Alabama Flood Zone AE

NFIP – Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

NFIP Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $7,127.00

This option is what we see if the property has had a flood loss before and either doesn’t have an Elevation Certificate applied or the Elevation certificate showing that the lowest floor is 4 feet under the BFE for the area. You can use 10% of your coverage to cover other structures on your property.

Alabama Private flood insurance – Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance (option 1)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyd’s of London (option 1) Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $895.00

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option. This underwriter can be a bit choosey about what risk they will accept and will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer basements coverage, about $2,000 for loss of use and $2,000 for other structures, but they can’t increase this coverage. They do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate.

Alabama Private flood insurance – Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance (option 2)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyd’s of London (option 2) Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $648.07

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option for our clients. They seem to be writing almost all risks. However, they do not write any property in a designated floodway or has a depth of -4 under the BFE. In our example, with our BFE being 530, they will not accept this risk if the lowest floor is 525. They will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer limited coverage for basements and do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate as a percentage of coverage for loss of use. If you want coverage for other structures, that will need to be added.

Private Flood insurance option (option 3) Not Lloyd’s

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $4,388.53

This option will take properties that have had one flood loss as long as it has been more than five years and the payout was under $100,000 on the claim. Their coverage matches the NFIP. They will write practically all risks, don’t need an elevation certificate to rate, and are a bit lower in premium than the NFIP.

Private Flood Insurance – Lloyd’s of London (option 4)

This option must be written on the building’s Replacement Cost Value (RCV). Otherwise, there is a co-insurance penalty that kicks in. So, $250,000 might be a bit low in California, but to keep this going, let’s just use that for this option.

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and a $5,000 deductible

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $866.63(a great price).

This options rating system is all over the board. Sometimes we get a crazy great price, but other times the premium is way higher than the NFIP will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $50,000 on the claim. Their preferred coverage is at replacement cost, slightly different from some of our other Lloyd’s flood options. We usually reserve this one if the property doesn’t fit the above options. We can adjust coverages to control premium. As mentioned before, these underwriters’ rates are all over the board. It is worth shopping to ensure we get you the best premium possible. They don’t need an elevation certificate to rate.

Private Flood Insurance – Lloyds of London (option 5)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and a $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $915.86

This option came from the company running the NFIP program, so the coverage matches the NFIP coverage with two differences. They offer living expenses covering your cost when you are displaced from your home during repairs (most Lloyds flood policies offer this). They also offer a unique swimming pool clean-out, so ask for this coverage if you have a pool.

Private Flood Insurance – Lloyds of London (option 6)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage. No Contents and a $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $694.43

This options rating system is also all over the board. Sometimes we get a crazy low price; other times, the premium is way higher than the NFIP. They will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $25,000 on the claim. They have been rumored to give a low price the first year and then non-renew following years, or sometimes they jack the price way up, so we will watch them. They have a slick system, and their underwriting is managed by a 3rd party, which also sometimes seems to be a glitch.

More options are coming online every day, and we are working to be looking into every viable option.

Alabama Flooding

Currently, Alabama has 54,419 NFIP policies in force to date, with a total cost of $37,369,849. That would make the average flood rate for Alabama $687. Of course, some will pay more, and some will pay less.

Click here to have our shop and save you money.

Hello, Alabama! Thanks for visiting our page for all your flood insurance needs.

Let’s start with a group of areas, including Autauga, Millbrook, Prattville, and Daphne, Alabama, where the number of active flood policies totals 826. The premiums for these areas total $627,171, which allows the average flood rate to be $759. 

When we look at Montgomery, Alabama, we find an average flood rate to be $759. Montgomery’s number of active flood policies totals 1,281 with $971,948 in written premium.

Flooding in Baldwin County, Alabama

There are 11,136 active flood policies in Baldwin, Alabama – the highest in the state! Baldwin has an average flood rate of $566, including $6,299,796 in flood premiums.

Let’s look at Fairhope and Foley, Alabama, where 506 active flood policies exist. The premiums here total $268,839, which allows the average flood rate to be $531.

Gulf Shores, Alabama! Hello! Your beaches are clean with sparkling water! You all have so much to do right on the beach! This town is full of fun! Glad you stopped by our page! There are 7,584 active flood policies with $4,071,181 in written premium! The average flood rate in Gulf Shores is $537 

Right next to Gulf Shores is Orange Beach, Alabama! Orange Beach also has gorgeous beaches, water, and lots to do! Orange Beach has an average flood rate of $345. The number of active flood policies is 7,278, with $2,507,981 in total flood premiums.

Let’s look at a group of areas, including Anniston, Calhoun, and Jacksonville, Alabama, where the average flood rate computes to $1,017! The number of active flood policies adds up to 407 with $413,965 in written premium. Give us a call to check your flood rates!

Oxford, Cherokee, and Elba, Alabama. There are 448 active flood policies and $367,364 in flood premiums. $820 is the average cost.

In Enterprise, Covington, Cullman, and Dothan, Alabama, the average flood rate is $646. The premiums for these areas add up to $423,970, with 656 flood policies in effect.

The average flood rate in Dallas, Selma, and Elmore, Alabama, is $874. The premiums here add up to $485,254 with 555 active flood policies.

Flooding in Brewton Alabama

Let’s check out Brewton, Etowah, and Gadsden, Alabama, where there are 327 flood policies active. The premiums here total $467,885, which allows the average flood rate to be $1,431.

Moving on to Greene, Hale, and Houston, Alabama, where the premiums add up to $197,421, which includes 273 active flood policies. The average flood rate for these areas is $723.

$1,122 is the average flood rate for Scottsboro and Bessemer, Alabama. There are 248 active flood policies with $278,211 in written premium.

Birmingham Alabama Flooding

Hello Birmingham, Alabama! You all have 724 flood policies in effect. Birmingham has $1,026,641 in premiums which allows the average flood rate to be $1,418. Give us a call, Birmingham!

Looking at Homewood, Hoover, Lauderdale, Auburn, and Lee, Alabama, we find 897 active flood policies. These areas have an average flood rate of $726, including $651,351 in flood premiums.

When we check out Jefferson, Leeds, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Phenix City, and Athens, Alabama, we find $792,177 in flood premiums. The number of policies here adds up to 851, which allows the average flood rate to be $931.

565 flood policies are active in Decatur, Alabama. Decatur has an average flood rate of $716 which includes $404,704 in written premium.

Huntsville, Alabama! You all have 3,251 active flood policies! The premiums in Huntsville total $2,369,729, which causes the average flood rate to be $729.

The average flood rate in Limestone, Lowndes, and Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, is $590. The number of active flood policies totals 329 with $194,265 in written premium.

$625,129 is the total written premium in Madison, Alabama. The policies total 1,223 in Madison, allowing the average flood rate to be $511.

Looking at Bayou La Batre and Chickasaw, Alabama, we find an average flood rate of $2,317. The premiums here add up to $748,243 with 323 flood policies. Give us a call to check your rates! 

Dauphin, Alabama, has 1,813 flood policies active with $1,502,647 in written premium. The average flood rate in Dauphin is $829.

Flood Insurance Mobile, AL

In Mobile, Alabama, the average flood rate is $1,020. The premiums in Mobile add up to $5,734,003 with 5,622 in active flood policies.

414 flood policies are active in Saraland, Alabama. The average flood rate in Saraland is $877, which includes $362,926 in written premium.

Let’s check out Satsuma, Montgomery, and Morgan, Alabama, where the average flood rate is $649. The premiums here add up to $276,315 with 426 active flood policies.

The average flood rate rises to $839 when we look at Alabaster, Pelham, and Shelby, Alabama. The number of active policies totals 612 with $513,336 in written premium.

Another group of areas includes Pell City, St. Clair, and Sylacauga, Alabama, where the number of active policies totals 525. The premiums add up to $400,071, making the average flood rate $762. 

Talladega and Northport, Alabama, have an average flood rate of $697. The number of active flood policies totals 419 with $292,040 in written premium.

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the average flood rate is $753. There are 774 active flood policies and $582,923 in flood premium.

Finally, check out Walker, Wilcox, and Winston, Alabama, where the average flood rate is $854. The premiums total $188,671 with 221 active flood policies.

 Thanks for checking out all the flood information on Alabama!!

Please Shop my Alabama Flood Insurance

How to save money on Flood Insurance in Alabama VE flood zones

All homes that are ocean-facing are custom built. With this special consideration, our Lloyd’s of London VE flood zone and other private flood insurance options for oceanfront properties consider this with variable coverage options and significant savings. Below is a case study for a property we were shopping for just last week.

Our example was in the Mobile, AL area and is in a VE flood zone map.

For the coverage of $250,000 with no contents and a $5,000 deductible, the NFIP annual cost for flood insurance in a VE flood zone is $17,582.00. Ouch!

Since we are who we are and experts in Flood Insurance, we will look at every property in every way possible to ensure that we are getting the best premium for our clients, and WE often Do (smile wink)

We tried this same property on our Private flood options and were able to get the premium to under $2,500 we have. In some cases, similar properties have gotten the annual premium to $600. This was a feather in our cap and made our clients very happy. Again all properties are unique in these VE flood zones, but if we can find a private flood policy for you, we guarantee it will be better than the NFIP option.

Let us help you save money today.

Cost of flood insurance in Alabama

For decades, the NFIP has over-charged 50 percent of its policyholders and under-charged the other 50 percent, while it has racked up $42 billion in taxpayer-funded losses, equating to more than half of every claim paid by the NFIP since 1978.

About 30 percent of NFIP claims payments go to the same 3 percent of insured “repetitive loss” structures yearly. When you do the math, this means that the other 97 percent of their flood-exposed constituents could have paid in less and still netted larger claims payouts if they had better access to private flood insurance. In fact, a recent white paper by Milliman found that 90 percent of homes in Sandy-struck New York and New Jersey would see reduced flood insurance rates through private insurers.