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Note: This guest post is by David A. Thompson, CPCU, AAI, API, CRIS.

Did you know that flooding, not hurricanes, is the most frequent and costly natural disaster? One report stated that almost 90 percent of natural disasters involve flooding, and since 2000 flooding has cost U.S. taxpayers $850 billion. A vast majority of flood events are uninsured. Over 75 percent of flood damage from Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017 was uninsured. Hurricane Ian in 2022 came ashore in the Lee County (Ft. Myers) area. Data supplied by FEMA showed that only 30 percent of the properties in that county had flood insurance, and amazingly only 50.4 percent of structures in high risk flood zones were protected by flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).…

Continue Reading Everyone Lives in a Flood Zone!

This morning I was teaching over 200 adjusters about how to properly adjust claims with multiple causes of loss from wind and flood caused by a hurricane. This seminar, Slabbed: Making a Wind and Flood Claim on the Same Structure, was for members of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA). I have personally handled thousands of these unique claims. Unfortunately, many adjusters do not do it right. As a result, policyholders will often suffer because they fail to receive all benefits available under the policies covering this type of loss.
Continue Reading How To Adjust Hurricane Claims with Wind and Flood Damage—Start with the Basics of National Flood Insurance Claims

The Wall Street Journal ran a story, In Hurricane Ian’s Wake Insurers and Homeowners Gear Up For Coverage Fights, about the wind versus flood dilemma. This is a major issue that will cause headaches to Hurricane Ian policyholders with the most significant damage, property insurance adjusters trying to designate which peril caused which damage, and restoration contractors dealing with multiple carriers for one construction project. The journalist interviewed me while doing his research and published this in the story:…
Continue Reading Wind versus Flood—Why Do We Have Separate Insurance Policies For Wind Damage and Flood Damage?

The National Flood Insurance program is hosting an adjuster briefing today at 4 pm EST. While I have a number of criticisms of the program, I commend them for providing their claims manuals online and having public disclosures explaining how they intend to adjust flood claims.

Here is the link:

https://fema.connectsolutions.com/hurricaneianbriefing/

Thought For The Day…

With hurricane season nearing fast, now is the time to check up on your insurance policy to determine whether you are covered on all fronts. Standard homeowners insurance policies do not cover damage from flooding, meaning policyholders are required to obtain supplemental flood insurance to protect their home against potential storm surges. While most policyholders obtain flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, there are private insurer options available to those looking for another option.
Continue Reading Hurricane Season Is Near – Preparing For Flood Claims

The National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”) was implemented to assist victims of flood recover through the issuance of Standard Flood Insurance Policy (“SFIP”) under the National Flood Insurance Act (“NFIA”). The SFIPs are not grants, they require payment of insurance premiums in exchange for the coverages promised under these flood policies. Ideally, the premiums create of “pool” of money from which to draw to pay out claims. This “pool” often dries up and the federal government is called upon to fund the NFIP.
Continue Reading The Meandering of the Louisiana Great Flood of 2016: NFIP WYO Insurer’s Baseless Denials Rejected

The National Flood Insurance Program is a tough federal insurance program. There is a recent case which was thrown out of court because the policyholder tried to do it himself. [1] It is another example that when FEMA officials say the government Is there to help with your flood claim, you will find out differently very quickly if you disagree with them on anything.
Continue Reading Policyholders Should Immediately Get Professional Help if they Have Any Problems with their National Flood Insurance Claim