Many residents living in or near Emmaus, PA, think they don’t need flood insurance if their home is not in a designated flood zone. That misconception can lead to substantial out-of-pocket expenses as flooding can occur from various unexpected circumstances. Patrick McNealis Insurance and Financial Group can advise you on why flood insurance is an excellent idea to protect your home.

Flooding Comes From Many Sources

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) indicates that as many as 25% of flooding claims come from homeowners who live in low to moderate-risk areas. Still, the agency’s statistics only include homeowners who have flood insurance. That means many more must pay for the damage themselves. Some mistakenly believe that Federal Disaster Insurance will cover flooding damage. However, the federal government must declare a disaster area for a community to be eligible for federal disaster assistance. Even then, the assistance comes from loans the borrower must repay with interest.

Floods can come from many sources, including rapidly melting snow, excessive rain, mudslides or mudflows, land collapse along lakes and rivers, dam failures, sump pump failures, and backups, and even something as odd as a neighbor’s pool collapsing and flowing onto your property.

Protecting Your Property With Flood Insurance

While most homeowners’ policies include protection from water damage, this coverage only provides damage from broken pipes, rain that enters your home from a storm, and similar incidents. Flooded basements are caused by drain pipes and other causes that require flood insurance. Even then, homeowners must be careful about covered incidents in their policy.

If you want to add flood insurance to your home policy, contact the experts at Patrick McNealis Insurance and Financial Group, serving Emmaus, PA. Our agents will gladly help you select a policy that fits your needs and budget.