Flood Insurance in Pennsylvania

Perhaps they're frightened by all the climate change-related national disasters we're reading about daily or watching on TV, but more and more of our clients at The Good Insurance Group LLC are asking us about flood insurance. Thank goodness we have little chance of a major wildfire or powerful earthquake disrupting our lives in Bloomsburg, PA, but we are at the mercy of Mother Nature when it comes to floods. In fact, torrential rains, ice jams, and snowmelt have caused the Susquehanna River as well as Fishing Creek to flood time and again, leaving water levels elevated for days, isolating neighborhoods and sustaining property damage.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

NFIP, under the aegis of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, seeks to mitigate the damage inflicted on both private and public structures within the fifty states and U.S. territories. It does so by providing affordable flood insurance to homeowners, condo owners, and renters, but there is a catch. Your home has to be situated within the boundaries of an area designated as a flood plain; an area FEMA has discovered poses high risks of flood damage.

Since our community has suffered significant flooding problems such as those imposed by Hurricane Agnes in 2005 and Tropical Storm Leo in 2011, FEMA has declared that some areas of Bloomsburg, PA constitute a flood plain. These include the Fairgrounds, the municipal airport, the town park, the Bloomsburg Industrial Park, as well as 400 homes. If you live in any of these 400 homes, you can purchase NFIP flood insurance from any insurance agency licensed to sell flood insurance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You can contact us to find out more information.

What if Your House is Not in the Bloomsburg, PA Flood Plain?

While flood damage is not covered by standard insurance policies, you can buy flood insurance even if your home, condominium, or commercial property is not in the flood plain. A policy will pay you actual cash value should your property suffer damage from:

• Complete or partial flooding occurring from coastal or inland tidal water reaching normally dry areas
• Mudflows or mudslides resulting from flooding
• Out-of-the-ordinary rapid accumulation of surface water from any source
• Flood-related erosion.

You should note however that it will not pay for damage related to sewer seepage or backup unless it was caused by the flood.

Interested in learning more and to see how much flood coverage would cost you?  Give the experts at The Good Insurance Group, LLC a call today to discuss your options and budget.