After being hit with life-threatening floods in September 2009, many Georgia residents called their insurance companies to place claims only to realize that floods were not covered in their policies. This news was a major blow to homeowners who simply were unaware that they were not paying for flood coverage in their monthly premiums.

So how exactly does a homeowner get covered for floods? Since floods aren’t covered in the standard homeowner’s policy, a separate policy must be purchased. The policy can be purchased from a property and casualty insurance company and is always backed by the National Flood Insurance Program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The reason that most homeowners are unaware of flood insurance is because they have not purchased their home in a flood plain, which requires a separate flood insurance policy. Since many of Georgia’s residents affected by September’s floods were not required to purchase it, they assumed that it, like most other weather-related damages, would be covered.

This is why it’s important to get informed about your homeowners policy. Paying attention to what you’re paying for can allow you to add on features – or purchase additional policies – to help you avoid coming out of pocket for major expenses down the line. If you know you’re not covered for floods, it’s good to consider making the purchase – especially since 25 to 30 percent of flooding occurs outside of flood plains, according to the executive director of the Georgia Insurance Information Service.

The good news for Georgia residents is that help is on the horizon. Representatives from FEMA will be sending out grants as high as $30,300 to the uninsured and under-insured homeowners affected by the floods. So far, 17 counties in Georgia are included on the list of recipients.

The grants will be a major help to many homeowners – but not them all – which is why you don’t want this to happen to you. Take time to learn what’s covered in your policy – and how to acquire flood insurance. This way, you’ll know for sure that you’ll be able to pay for damages in the event that a flood occurs in your area.

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