U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Bursting Fire Hydrants and Flooding

Row of houses on tree-lined street, being flooded by a rainstorm and a burst fire hydrant
Back to Article Listings

From burst fire hydrants to overflowing rivers, your clients may have questions and anxieties around flooding that may stump even the most experienced insurance agent. Thankfully, FEMA and its National Flood Insurance Program are in your corner to assist you in answering even the strangest questions. The answers to many of these questions rely on the definition of a flood. NFIP’s definition of a flood is as follows.

A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of 2 or more acres of normally dry land area or of 2 or more properties (at least 1 of which is the policyholder's property) from:

  • Overflow of inland or tidal waters; or
  • Unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source; or
  • Mudslides (i.e., mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding and are akin to a river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited along the path of the current.; or
  • Collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels that result in a flood as defined above.

Keeping that definition in mind can help you to answer all your clients’ questions.

What about if a fire hydrant floods your client’s living room, is that covered?

  • While a burst hydrant may be a rare occurrence, depending on how much water gets dispersed to surrounding areas, there is a chance that the flooding would be covered by flood insurance.

If the local river overflows into your client’s home, is that covered?

  • River flooding is a major source of flooding that would be covered by a flood insurance policy! In fact, every year the NFIP creates, and updates marketing materials designed to spread awareness of the dangers of river flooding.

So, when your clients come to you with questions about flooding and their flood protection, no matter how strange they might seem you can find an answer by visiting https://www.agents.floodsmart.gov.