Shawnee County

Flood Facts

Risk

  • Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the United States.
  • In the past 5 years, all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods.
  • Everyone lives in a flood zone.
  • Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.
  • In most cases, it takes 30 days after purchase for a policy to take effect, so it's important to buy insurance before the storm approaches and the floodwaters start to rise.
  • The NFIP offers dwelling coverage for: 1) Building Property, up to $250,000, and 2) Personal Property (Contents), up to $100,000. The NFIP encourages people to purchase both types of coverage. Your mortgage company may require that you purchase a certain amount of flood insurance coverage.
  • If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or high-risk area and have a Federally backed mortgage, your mortgage lender requires you to have flood insurance.
  • Flood insurance rates in high-risk areas (A and V Zones) are calculated based on a variety of factors, including elevation and building construction. Policies can be purchased for contents only, building only, or both contents and building coverage.
  • In a high-risk area, your home is more likely to be damaged by flood than by fire. In fact, in high-risk flood areas, there is a 26% chance of experiencing a flood during the life of a 30-year mortgage.
  • Nearly 25% of all National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance claims are filed by people outside mapped high-risk areas and receive one-third of Federal Disaster Assistance for flooding.
  • Just a few inches of water from a flood can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
  • A car can easily be carried away by just two feet of floodwater.
  • New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff paths.

Impact

  • From 2003 to 2012, total flood insurance claims averaged nearly $4 billion per year.
  • Since 1978, the NFIP has paid more than $48.1 billion for flood insurance claims and related costs (as of 7/8/13).
  • Federal disaster assistance is usually a loan that must be paid back with interest. For a $50,000 loan at 4% interest, your monthly payment would be around $240 a month ($2,880 a year) for 30 years. Compare that to a $100,000 flood insurance premium, which is about $400 a year ($33 a month).
  • You are eligible to purchase flood insurance as long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program.
  • When your community participates in the Community Rating System (CRS), you can qualify for an insurance premium discount of up to 45% if you live in a high-risk area and up to 10% in moderate- to low-risk areas. Shawnee County is currently designated a Class 9 community in the CRS program for which flood insurance policy holders in high-risk areas receive a 5% premium discount.

For more policy and claim statistics, visit the National Flood Insurance Program.