Living in a city feels familiar. You see the same people on the subway, get the same breakfast sandwich and avoid the same crowded spaces on your way to work. What's unfamiliar is when things show up unexpected and unwanted—like floods. Whether your clients are prepared or not depends on your ability to help them understand that living in a highly-populated area does not mean they live risk-free.
Construction Changes the Landscape
A staple of being in the city is construction. Turn a corner, there's some construction work. Buildings are constantly being renovated, sidewalks aways being shut down while sewage pipes get updated. All of the constant construction can worsen flood risk. Altering the landscape in any way can change how water travels, combined with fewer easily-accessible drainage spots and suddenly metropolitan flooding becomes a bigger issue.
Water Takes the Freeway
Adding to that, those concrete jungles pose another issue—water flowing over roads. Without warning, water in one area of a city can travel for miles into the surrounding areas—spreading floodwaters into more suburban areas.
Flooding Is Unpredictable
There's no telling when and where flooding will happen, which is why it becomes critical you talk to your customers about the risk they face from metropolitan flooding. Talk to your clients about the peace of mind they'll gain with flood insurance, and how they can protect their big city dreams.
If you need resources such as talking points, outreach emails or social media materials, use the NFIP's Metropolitan Flooding toolkit. Free resources are available online to assist you in helping your clients protect the lives they've built.