When water damages your home, you typically don’t care where the water came from – you just want it fixed. Water damage whether it’s from a flood or other source left without remediation can lead to structural damage, mold, and rot. First, let’s define what conditions comprise a flood.
The definition of a flood is set by FEMA, and is defined this way:
- Partial or complete flooding of two or more acres that are normally dry land, or the policyholders property by the following:
- Overflow of and inland water sources such as inland wetlands, springs, groundwater runoff, as well as rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams.
- Extreme tidal forces from such as perigean spring tides (also called king tides), storm surges, high surf, and tsunami.
- Mud flows that cannot be classified as landslides or sinkholes.
- Erosion undermining caused by waves and currents of water that causes collapse or subsidence along a lakeshore or river.
- Any other natural source of water.
Some examples of this include water intrusion into a basement, a flood that intrudes into your home causing damage to flooring, furnishings, walls, and even to the foundation itself. Other examples of flood damage can include mud flows that bury your property, or are a direct cause of subsidence and erosion that damages your home.
Water damage results from broken household pipes or hoses that connect to appliances to a supply of water such as those used by washing machines, dishwashers, and icemakers. Other sources of water damage can include leaky roofs, faulty installation of windows and doors, and damage by storms to same. However, the damage caused by storms is generally covered in Florida by a windstorm damage policy. Investopedia reminds all insureds that a policy covering water damage does not cover negligence and failure to provide proper maintenance. In other words, if you know the leak is there or that the pipe is failing, and fail to maintain or repair it, you have not undertaken due diligence to avoid a claim.
Florida’s geography is unique in that it is almost perfectly flat, with the highest point in the state being a scant 345 feet above sea level. We are surrounded on three sides by water and some of the most extensive in land wetland areas in America – our state is literally 18.5 percent water or 12,133 square miles of it. With all the water, and all the wild weather, any prudent homeowner going without flood insurance is taking a tremendous risk of losing it all. While flood insurance is not mandatory for those in Zone X as it is for those in Zones A, AE, AH, and VE, that is not to say that your home is not at risk from flooding it simply means that the average flood depth in your area is less than one foot.
Look around your home and think about what one foot of water could do in terms of damage, then give us a call and let us help you find affordable flood insurance to protect your investment and possessions.
