TAMPA, Florida (WFLA) – If you live in Florida, you are likely used to rain, wind, and water. Here's what you need to know about new Tampa Bay Flood Risk Maps and what flood insurance is required.
Manatee and Pinellas counties have updated flood risk maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, in August.
Monoclonal antibody treatment: what is it, when do you need it?
If you don't have flood insurance and you need one, keep in mind that there is typically a 30 day wait for the policy to go into effect for hurricane season in full swing.
Before the peak of the hurricane season, it is important to verify that you are in a high risk zone. Now that the maps have been updated, the new flood maps look like this:
(Updated flood risk maps)
However, the information in the cards is tentative or pending and is scheduled to officially go into effect today, August 24th.
When you look at the new map for Pinellas County, you are greeted with a data accuracy warning.
(Source: Pinellas County's ArcGIS Flood Risk Map)
Pinellas County offers a simple explanation so you know if you should get flood insurance for your home.
(Source: Pinellas district)
To understand why the cards exist, it is important to know what they are used for.
Flood risk maps and flood insurance
FEMA provides these maps to show the flood risk in your area. According to FEMA, the maps show any location with a 1% or greater chance of experiencing flooding every year, or high risk. The points on the map that meet the flood risk have a 25 percent chance of being flooded during a 30 year mortgage.
The agency also warns that “floods do not follow city limits or property lines” and “there is no such thing as a ‘non-risk zone'”, but the maps show which areas have a low or medium risk, as well as the high one Risk of flood damage.
According to FEMA, a single inch of flood can cause damage of up to $ 25,000.
When you buy or rent a home and get the appropriate homeowner or tenant insurance, you have the option to get flood insurance.
St. Pete Mayoral Primary is Tuesday: You Should Know This
Flood insurance covers the cost of repairing flood damage up to USD 250,000 for a one- to four-family home without condominiums. For other buildings, some non-residential or non-residential, the NFIP cap can be up to $ 500,000.
However, lenders may request more coverage than the minimum set out in the National Flood Insurance Act.
The premium costs for your flood insurance depend, among other things, on your deductible, the amount of household contents coverage and the flood risk of the building.
In contrast to other types of insurance, you pay for flood insurance annually instead of monthly.
National flood insurance program
So what is the NFIP?
In 1968, Congress passed the National Flood Insurance Act and amended it to include the Flood Disaster Protection Act in 1973.
Dump truck overturns on Suncoast Parkway in Lutz; Driver injured
The two laws give FEMA the authority to create and run disaster relief programs and sell flood insurance to homeowners through the NFIP, meaning your flood insurance is federally supported.
Flood insurance coverage is quite specific.
It provides building coverage and content coverage and divides each category into “what is covered” and “what is covered in areas below the lowest raised floor”.
The areas under the lowest raised floors “include crawl spaces under a raised building, enclosed areas under buildings, and buildings elevated on full-story foundations (sometimes referred to as” walkout basements “). A post-FIRM building is a building for which construction or substantial improvement after the 31st
According to FEMA, around 60 insurance companies offer flood insurance in addition to NFIP Direct. NFIP Direct is the version of flood insurance that is handled directly by FEMA and the federal government.
You can find a flood insurance provider to purchase coverage at FloodSmart.gov or by calling the NFIP at 877-336-2627.
With FEMA, you can see how high your community's risk of flooding is online.
Additionally, some legislative changes in 2014 updated some of the costs to policyholders due to concerns about affordability.
75 Florida doctors are holding a symbolic strike in protest against unvaccinated COVID-19 patients
Currently, all policyholders are required to pay $ 25 per year for tenants and primary residence owners, while those who own or rent non-main residences or buildings are required to pay an additional $ 250 per year instead.
Basically, if you live in a home that is insured for flood damage, you pay less for your annual premiums, but if you have a second home, like a Snowbird or a business owner who has flood insurance, you pay up ten times more each year the surcharge.
What is and what is not covered by flood insurance?
The types of damage covered are based on floods.
ATF takes fire from Orlando gun trigger designer in cease and desist lawsuit
FEMA provides examples of flooding and includes flooding caused by storm surges; Runoff from heavy rainfall that overwhelms drainage or absorption in a given area; Mud flow from heavy or prolonged rainfall; and erosion from the overflow of a body of water.
This is what your building flood insurance actually covers:
- The insured building and its foundation
- The electrical and sanitary facilities
- Central air conditioners, stoves and water heaters
- Refrigerators, stoves and built-in appliances such as dishwashers
- Fixed carpet over an unfinished floor
- Permanently installed cladding, wall boards, bookshelves and cabinets
- Window blinds
- Removal of dirt
- Removal of flood damage
Here's what's covered under the lowest raised floor:
- Foundation walls, anchoring systems and stairs attached to the building
- Central air conditioning
- Cisterns and the water in them
- Sockets, switches and circuit breaker boxes
- Fuel tanks and the fuel they contain, solar energy systems and well water tanks and pumps
- Ovens, water heaters, heat pumps, and sump pumps
If you have content coverage, you are covered:
- Personal items such as clothing, furniture, and electronic devices
- curtains
- Portable and window air conditioners
- Portable microwave ovens and portable dishwashers
- Carpet not included in the building cover
- Washing machines and dryers
- Food freezers and the foods they contain
- Certain valuable items, such as works of art, furs, and jewelry (up to $ 2,500)
What is covered under the lowest raised floor when you have a content cover:
- Washing machines and dryers
- Food freezers and the food they contain (except for fridge-freezers)
- Installed portable and window air conditioners
While your specific policy may include coverage exclusions and restrictions, some of the damages are not:
- Damage or loss from moisture, mold, or mildew that can be avoided by the owner
- Cost of living such as temporary housing, cars or auto parts
- Property or possessions outside of a building, including decks for sewage treatment plants, patios, hot tubs and swimming pools, fountains, trees, fences, and sea walls
- Damage due to business interruption due to flooding
- Damage caused by water flow below the surface or by backwater and seepage in the sewer system
- Costs of complying with ordinances requiring or regulating the construction, demolition, remodeling, renovation or repair of property, including removal of debris
How Tampa Bay COVID-19 Patients Can Enroll for Regeneron Treatment
Change the flood map for your home
If you think your home is not in a particular flood risk area, you can send a letter to NFIP correcting the entry.
A Letter of Map Amendemnt is an official document that changes the map and records your home as “mistakenly mapped as being in the flood plain”.
According to FEMA, this can be used for homes that are technically mapped in a floodplain but are on a natural rise above the base flood level.