How much is flood insurance in GA?
How to Save Money Flood Insurance Georgia
Georgia flood
Does my Georgia homeowner insurance cover flooding?
A typical Georgia 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. Georgia flood zone map
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.
How to get Flood insurance in Georgia?
It is important to have flood insurance coverage in Georgia because our beloved Cowboy State has seen a fair share of flooding, and more is likely coming.
We believe that most homeowners think about Flood insurance in Georgia at some point, maybe before buying a home or during the closing process. However, many of us only think about it when a big storm is looming or we have heard on the news that there is flooding forecasted or happening 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.
In Harris county, nearly 135,000 homes were damaged. Three-fourths of these properties were considered low to moderate risk.
Georgia flood map
Flood Insurance Georgia
We often hear that people believe that 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’ average amount of 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 in the form of a loan and you will need to pay it back. Are you willing to gamble away your financial future by forgoing flood insurance coverage?
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, then 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 for part of the risk. Our recent storms are facts that it can rain anywhere within Georgia, 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” then it really is.
The average cost for Georgia 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 Georgia flood insurance maps to assess risk, set premiums, and determine who is required to purchase flood insurance. Bad information about an areas flood risk can leave property owners under or uninsured.
How much is flood insurance in Georgia?
There are many options available in Georgia regarding flood insurance, but they basically fall into two main categories. The Government option also referred to as the NFIP or FEMA. And the Private Flood Insurance Market.
Georgia NFIP flood insurance.
1 – The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), also known as FEMA, which 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
If you have Nationwide Flood Insurance, State Farm Flood Insurance, Progressive Flood Insurance, or any of the of the logos below then 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.
Georgia private flood insurance market