What a crazy winter it has been, first it looked as if we weren’t going to be getting hardly any snow. The story has now changed, and we are looking at quite a bit of water sitting up on our hills and mountains! What does this mean? First, it will mean a very green spring. It also means that we are going to be getting a lot of run off into our reservoirs and rivers from all the snow melt.
If we turn back the time tables to the past few years, we have had an overflowing Boise river in the spring and early summer time causing a lot of businesses and homeowners to become very nervous for their property. This is for good reason because a flood can do quite a bit of damage to the structural integrity of a building.
How do you know when a good time to purchase flood insurance is? You will want to first make sure there are no current or forecasted flood conditions in your area. One resource to search for information is the United States Geological Survey or usgs.gov. There is a phone number you can call to find out what flood stage your nearest body of water is at. With this resource you can prepare yourself and work ahead of time to make sure you have the protection you need in case of a flooding event.
How does flood insurance work? Flood insurance will cover loss to your property resulting from flooding event. When purchasing flood insurance there are a few factors to keep in mind. Flood insurance has a 30-day future issue date. For ex: if you purchased and paid for flood insurance today the coverage begins 30 days from today. The Summer and Fall are the best time of year to purchase flood as the chance for existing flood conditions are very low. Flood is available to purchase in the Winter and Spring, but it is a Buyer Beware purchase. If a flood is in progress but no flood damage has occurred, and your home incurs flood water damage after the effective date of your new flood policy, it is very likely coverage would not be provided for that damage. Being aware of the flood stage of the body of water nearest you and other factors such as weather forecast are details you would need when purchasing flood insurance this time of year especially.
If you live in an area next to a river or where flood insurance is required, give our office a call to discuss what your options are. In closing if you have flood insurance in place you are sleeping a little easier this time of year and if you don’t and are losing sleep please give us a call. We at Idaho Insurance Agency look forward to helping you navigate the murky waters of flood insurance.
