Your policyholders have worked hard to care for their homes sand save for the future, but disasters can lead to unexpected financial emergencies. Encourage your clients to prepare in advance so they can protect the lives they’ve built. Share these tips on how to prepare for a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or other flood event, to ensure your community stays financially resilient.
- Know your flood risk. Use NFIP’s flood mapping tools to help policyholders better understand their flood risk and how they may be impacted by a hurricane or other flood event. Remind them that just one inch of flood water can cause up to $25,000 damage to their property – damage that homeowners and renters insurance won’t cover.
- Schedule an insurance checkup. Invite your current policyholders to schedule time for a policy review to check the status of their policy to ensure there is no lapse in coverage. Remind them they shouldn't let their policy expire as it typically takes 30 days for a new policy to go into effect. During this time, they would not be covered in the event of flooding and would have to pay for any flood damage out of pocket.
- Take advantage of loss avoidance measures. NFIP will pay up to $1,000 towards the cost of sandbags, pumps, and lumber to protect an insured building from a flood or imminent danger. Encourage your community members to take advantage of these loss avoidance measures that could help mitigate the damage caused to their property following a flood.
- Create a rainy-day savings account. In the wake of a hurricane or flood event, there may be immediate amount of pocket costs such as temporary lodging, transportation costs, food, and other day to day living expenses. By adding money to a rainy day fund each month, your policyholders can ensure they're financially prepared for unexpected expenses while recovering from flood loss.
- Secure important documents. Policyholders should store copies of birth certificates, passports, medical records, and insurance papers in a safe, dry place, and keep original documents in a watertight safety deposit box. These documents will help them start the road to recovery if they need to file a flood insurance claim or file for disaster assistance.
While your policyholders can’t control what the weather may bring, they can prepare for it. Direct your policyholders to https://www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness to find out more about how they can financially prepare ahead of a storm.