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The risk
If your home is in a designated flood zone, your lender requires you to have flood insurance. A flood zone is an area that has a 1% chance of being flooded in any given year. But floods can happen anywhere. On average, 40% of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance claims occur outside the high-risk flood areas.
Texas is particularly prone to floods, especially in two large parts of the state: the coast and a wide band called Flash Flood Alley that extends through Central and North Texas. Almost every major city in Texas is in an area at high risk of flooding.
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Flood insurance
Talk to your home insurance agent about getting a flood policy from your insurance company or the NFIP. If your agent doesn’t sell flood insurance, call 877-336-2627 for help.
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What’s covered
A flood insurance policy will cover your home up to $250,000. You’ll need a separate flood policy for your personal belongings, which provides coverage up to $100,000.
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There’s a wait
Most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period before kicking in so don’t wait for an approaching storm before deciding to buy coverage.
Resources
- Visit the FloodSmart.gov or call 877-336-2627 to find an agent in your area and get more information.
- Use FEMA’s Historical Flood Risk and Cost data to help evaluate the flood risk in your area.
- Search for flood maps at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.