Protect Your Home from Flood Damage

Water – it quenches us when thirsty, cleans us when dirty and offers boundless recreational opportunities all year round. In a nutshell, it's essential to our health and happiness.

While it's easy to take this life-giving liquid for granted, it's crucial to respect the power of H2O, especially as we enter a time of year when flooding incidents increase. Consider the following:

90 percent of all natural disasters in the U.S. involve flooding.
Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.
Some common causes include winter storms and snow melt.
Property losses from flooding are 30 percent more than losses from fire.

Damage from flooding is usually not covered under your homeowners or renters policy. Instead, flood insurance may be purchased from an insurance agent through the federally backed National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

American Family Insurance, for example, contracts with National Flood Services (NFS), which administers write-your-own NFIP policies that are available to homeowners, condo owners, apartment owners, renters and business owners.

To qualify for the NFIP program, property owners must live in a community that participates in the program.

For more details on flood insurance, contact your American Family Insurance agent today, or go to www.floodsmart.gov.