Hello Neighbors! My husband and I recently bought a 57-year-old brick single story in Walker, LA. He is a native, and I moved here 3 months before the 2016 flood. He was trapped at work and I in our 2nd story apartment. That said, I’ve struggled with some fears and anxiety about floods. More so than the hurricanes oddly enough.
Background for my question: our home did not flood. Ever. Flood insurance was not required at the time we bought our beautiful house. Now comes Helene. On one hand, I feel guilty that the suffering of our fellow Americans has caused my anxiety to skyrocket. It’s not about me. But it apparently is.
The actual question: Should I just bite the bullet and get flood insurance? Do you think it will help my sanity? We have State Farm for everything else, and they are devouring our savings in costs. Do you have a recommendation for just flood insurance that isn’t a scam and maybe preferred by Louisiana homeowners?
Thank you in advance, for any help or support. My brain keeps grinding on one message: Sure, it never flooded, but if it can happen in the hills of North Carolina…
I’ve been in my house 30 years. We bought the flood insurance when we bought the house and have never let it lapse. Never had a flood. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Cade said: @Tatum
Absolutely agreed. I’d rather pay for a parachute I might not even need than hope I land in a hay pile at a zillion miles an hour!
If it helps where me and my partner just moved, it NEVER floods. Just so happens the water was 1 inch from ruining the rest of the year for us, and it only takes one time.
Zinn said:
Everyone in Louisiana should have flood insurance.
Or at least they should look at the elevation maps and make the determination that even a Noah-like rain event would not flood them because of the very broad floodplain below them would take the water flow.
Lol I was just covering my bases that the subject wasn’t going to veer off into controversy. [Which is somehow a thing] And how can I ask for help if people skip my entire rambling post?
Yes! Cheapest insurance a homeowner can buy. Asheville should be a second wake-up call for you: it can happen here, even if your place didn’t flood in 2016. You won’t regret it.
Tilden said:
Yes! Cheapest insurance a homeowner can buy. Asheville should be a second wake-up call for you: it can happen here, even if your place didn’t flood in 2016. You won’t regret it.
I really do feel like this is something I’m going to regret not having. Maybe not this year but a year to come. Thank you!
We’ve lived in our house (Ascension Parish) 43 years. It’s never flooded. We’re on one of the highest spots in the parish, never was required so we didn’t get it. My SIL lives in a different part of the parish but had never flooded. She canceled her flood insurance in February of 2016, and her house flooded that August. She had to start all over at 60 years old. We bought flood insurance in November 2016. It was $500, now up to a little over $900, but I’ll pay it. After what she went through I feel it’s worth it.
@Milo
Yeah, that’s my thinking here. Like a condom, to be crass. Better to have one and not need it etc etc. I’m going to be honest my partner is handling the bulk of our insurance. Rates I’m being quoted are around 800 range unless I go through FEMA directly. Is this a monthly bill you pay, or do you pay the year upfront like the other insurance? Sorry, I’m not more educated in this. Any help is appreciated!
Flood insurance is FEMA. There is only one backer and it’s the federal government. Any insurance company can quote you a rate. It will be the same no matter who you get it from because there is only 1. You will need to get a height survey for your 1st floor height. It all just depends on the floor height and what flood zone you are in.
@Drew
Not all flood insurance is from FEMA. Private flood insurance is a thing but it’s rarely cheaper or the deductible is much higher than what’s offered through the NFIP. A survey is not required nor is an elevation certificate unless you want to make a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) to move your structure out of the 1% or 100-year flood zone. Also, rates determined by flood zones isn’t really a thing anymore. Risk Rating 2.0 is advertised as a more actuarial method to communicate risk and rates as opposed to the former binary method of inside or outside the 100-year zone.
In my opinion, flood insurance is usually worth it. It’s probably the cheapest insurance you will buy in regard to what it protects. Do your due diligence before making any decisions on protecting your home.
@Alix
Do you sell insurance? How is an elevation certificate not required? So a slab on grade house pays the same as a house raised 10 ft in the air next to it?
Drew said: @Alix
Do you sell insurance? How is an elevation certificate not required? So a slab on grade house pays the same as a house raised 10 ft in the air next to it?
No, I’m a Certified Floodplain Manager. The EC isn’t required to purchase insurance. However, it might be beneficial if the policy has the incorrect lowest adjacent grade for the structure. Often the cost to hire a surveyor or Professional Engineer doesn’t offset the savings. Mileage may vary. Also, with the new requirements, distance from a waterway has more to do with premium costs than elevations. Which is something I disagree with.
Drew said: @Alix
Do you sell insurance? How is an elevation certificate not required? So a slab on grade house pays the same as a house raised 10 ft in the air next to it?
We got flood insurance when we moved here and bought a house. We provided nothing except the address. Now what the insurance company did is on them. But we provided nothing.