The difference between flood damage and water damage isn’t well understood by most homeowners, yet it’s an essential distinction that has the potential to severely limit your ability to recover from a storm or other water incident. Make sure you understand what’s covered and not covered by your insurance when it comes to water and flood damage.
What Qualifies As Flood Damage?
The National Flood Insurance Program defines a flood as a temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties. A flood must be caused by an overflow of inland or tidal waters, unusual and rapid accumulation of surface waters, mudflow, or the collapse of land along the shore of a body of water.
As a homeowner, this means that water damage on your properly only qualifies as flooding if it also affects at least one of your neighbors. Keep in mind that most flood insurance policies require a 30-day waiting period before the policy takes effect, so implementing a flood insurance policy the day before a hurricane arrives won’t help you minimize your losses. Continue reading “Water Damage Vs Flood: What’s Covered and What’s Not”
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