Flooding can occur in a matter of minutes depending on where and how it’s coming into your home. And when it happens water damage will permeate all throughout the house and bring with it other secondary problems. With West Palm Beach being so close to the water line, it’s good to invest in flooding insurance because of the higher likelihood of flooding that happens.
Home Insurance vs. Flood Insurance
Homeowners insurance and flood insurance are vital to the Palm Beach community because tropical storms, hurricanes and thunderstorms are prevalent. Be sure to keep you, your family, your home, or your businesses to safety. Home insurance covers your property’s foundation and flood insurance obviously covers all kinds of floods, whether it’d be from a broken pipe or plumb leaks in your home or flooding that is done by natural disasters. It is always safe to be covered just in case you don’t expect a damage done made in your property.
Coverage for Flood Insurance
Many people usually get the National Flood Insurance Program. It covers up to $250,000 in damages that were made to your property and it also covers about $100,000 of your valuables. However, things that are not covered include:
- Valuable jewelry
- Bonds and cash
- Stock certificates
- Loss of income
- Pools/hot tubs
- Cars, etc.
What to Do After A Flood Damage?
The first thing you should do is be safe and keep your family safe. These next steps should help you in your claims process and what you should do next:
- Snap photos and videos in all the damaged areas
- Make sure you and your family are away from areas with a lot of flooding
- Reach out to your insurance agent
- Try to remove as much water as you can
- Reduce mold damage as much as you can
- Keep and secure your property.
Kinds of Damages You Can Expect To Have After A Flood Damage
First and foremost, flood damage can affect you and your family’s physical and mental health. On top of that, you’re dealing with structural damage, electrical wiring risks, crops that are damaged if you have any, sharp objects, and contaminated water. It is important to keep you and your family as safe and as healthy as possible and take things one thing at a time. It can detrimentally put a lot of emotional strain because you have to deal with your insurance and all the damages that were made. If you want less stress in restoring your home, don’t hesitate on calling Churchill’s public adjuster. We will be with you in assisting you with negotiating with your insurance company and getting you the monetary help that you need to restore your home.
FAQ
There’s a pipe in one of the rooms in my home that broke and caused it to leak on the first floor, can my flood insurance cover me?
No because the leak did not cause a flood in your home. This damage is at your own expense so don’t go through the hassle of filing a claim because they will deny it.
Are additional living expenses covered under my flood insurance?
Unfortunately, it’s not. Additional living expenses are part of your homeowners’ insurance policy and is covered under your dwelling coverage.
Is spoiled food covered under flood insurance?
The only time flood insurance covers food is if the flood waters were to enter into the refrigerator which will eventually spoil the food.
Should I file a homeowners claim and a flood insurance claim at the same time?
You can file both if there were any structural damages to your home such as a damaged roof causing the flood. This example would expect you to file a homeowners and flood claim however, you will be assigned two different public adjusters.
