Rising Waters: Will Homeowners Insurance Help?

Whether you own your home, or you are just renting one for a while, you are probably looking into Homeowners insurance to protect your goods and property. You want the best deal for your money, and you want to be sure that you are protecting yourself adequately, so you have shopped around. Good for you.

The area that you are in determines what extent of coverage that you need. Do you need to make sure that earthquake coverage is available on your Oklahoma home? Probably not, but you should certainly be sure that you have fire protection. Customizing your policy by the area in which you live could save you money in the long run and make your policy more effective for you and your home.

Unfortunately, the natural disaster most likely to strike and ruin a home is the one that is not covered under Homeowners insurance. As the people of New Orleans found out in the hurricane and flooding disaster of 2005, flood damage to homes and properties is not covered under a typical Homeowners insurance policy.

Flood insurance is a completely separate type of insurance, and is not often even offered by many major insurance companies because of the damage that results so regularly from flooding. In a nation criss-crossed by rivers and streams, flood damage takes out hundreds of homes and causes damage to many more during the rainy season. Many Homeowners think that they are prepared for the disasters, only to find that flood damage to their homes and property is not covered by their Homeowners insurance policy.

Making sure that you are adequately covered is vital to your peace of mind and to the wellbeing of your family should the worst happen. Even a small basement flood could case incredible damage, inviting in deadly molds, destroying important documents or goods, and possibly even damaging the foundation of the home. It does not take a full-fledged dam bursting to destroy homes with flood waters. Even a little overflow from the creek behind your house could cause devastation.

Where will you stay while your house is airing out? How will you pay for the cleaning of your muddied furniture, walls, and floors? Who is going to take care of your family’s needs while your house is drying? If you do not have a flood insurance policy, then the answer is likely to be: no one. Counting on your Homeowners insurance to protect you from this great danger is akin to living on the rim of an active volcano and trusting it not to blow. Take care of your home by making sure that it is fully protected.