Does your driver’s license say “Florida”? You live in a flood zone.
Even when homeowners are aware that flood insurance is a separate policy, they may think they live in a “safe” zone and that they shouldn’t bother it. The truth is that every square foot of Florida is a flood zone, and lower risk doesn’t mean no risk at all.
In recent years, areas of Florida that had been considered “low risk” for decades have flooded. In fact, those living outside of high-risk areas have filed more than 20% of flood insurance claims and receive one-third of disaster assistance distributed by the federal government.
Flood risk can change if natural runoff paths are altered by development, and flash floods can bring a wall of water ranging from 10 to 20 feet high crashing into residential neighborhoods. It only takes a few inches of water to cause thousands of dollars of damage to the exterior and interior of a home, and an entire vehicle can be swept away by as little as two feet of floodwater.
