The National Flood Insurance Program aims to reduce the impact of flooding on private and public structures. It does so by providing affordable insurance to property owners and by encouraging communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations. These efforts help mitigate the effects of flooding on new and improved structures. Overall, the program reduces the socio-economic impact of disasters by promoting the purchase and retention of general risk insurance, but also of flood insurance, specifically. Signup to receive email updates.
You realize your flood insurance policy is about to expire and you’re on the fence about renewing: It hasn’t flooded in your area in years (or ever). And you really could use that extra money to buy something you really want. But wait! DON’T. RISK. IT. FACT: Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the United States, affecting every region and state, including yours. FACT: Flood insurance can be the difference between recovering and being financially devastated. FACT: The damage from just one inch of water can cost more than $20,000. FACT: If you allow your flood insurance policy to lapse for either more than 90 days, or twice for any number of days, you may be required to provide an Elevation Certificate (if you don't have one), and you may no longer be eligible for policy rate discounts you might have been receiving prior to the policy lapse. It's important to talk with your insurance agent before canceling or not renewing the policy. FACT: You can file a flood claim even if there is not a Presidential Disaster Declaration. FACT: Flood damage is not typically covered by homeowners insurance. FACT: No home is completely safe from potential flooding devastation—why risk it? FACT: If you live in a high risk flood zone, and you've received federal disaster assistance in the form of grants from FEMA or low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) following a Presidential Disaster Declaration, you must maintain flood insurance in order to be considered for any future federal disaster aid. FACT: Storms are not the only cause of floods. Flooding can be caused by dams or levees breaking, new development changing how water flows above and below ground, snowmelt and much more. FACT: Too often, Americans are caught off guard by the emotional and financial costs of flood damage. Check out your state's flood history with FEMA's data visualization tool. By rolling your cursor over each county, you can see how many flooding events have happened and learn more about the cost of flooding. Flood insurance helps more: Check out your state's flood history with FEMA's interactive data visualization tool. Roll your cursor over each county to see how many flooding events have happened. The tool allows you to compare how much FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration have provided in terms of federal disaster aid after Presidential Disaster Declarations to the amount the National Flood Insurance program has paid to its policyholders. It's easy to see that having flood insurance provides a lot more help for recovery. 3/26/2017 0 Comments FLOODS AND YOUR LIVESTOCKFloods can impact animal health as well as human health. Make plans for your livestock and horses in the event you will need to evacuate your farm.
Before a Flood • Maintain an inventory. □ Keep a current list of all animals on your farm. □ Include their location and any records of vaccinations, testing and ownership. • Have identification for all animals. □ Make sure animals have some form of permanent identification (e.g., ear tags, tattoos). □ Ensure animals are properly vaccinated before exposure to floodwaters. • Prepare an evacuation kit. □ Handling equipment (e.g., halters, nose leads) □ Water, feed, and buckets □ Medications □ Tools and supplies needed for manure cleanup □ Safety and emergency items for your vehicles and trailers □ Gas powered generators • Make evacuation arrangements. □ Determine possible evacuation areas – higher elevation, alternate production facilities (e.g., temporary milking parlors). □ Determine several routes to these locations. □ Identify alternate water or power sources. □ Locate and prearrange feed and water delivery, needed equipment (e.g., milking) and services (e.g., milk pickup). □ Have well maintained backup generators for livestock production operations. □ Make transport arrangements (e.g., trucks, trailers) with experienced handlers and drivers. □ Condition animals to being loaded and transported. • Ensure a safe environment. □ Assess the stability and safety of barns and other structures. □ Remove dead trees or objects from fields or livestock areas that may serve as potential debris during a flood situation. During a Flood • Be aware animal behavior may change before, during and even after a disaster. □ If you must evacuate, ensure your family’s safety first □ If there is time - move or evacuate livestock and horses to higher ground. AVOID leaving animals behind. □ If there is no other alternative, keep gates or buildings open so they can escape high water. □ Provide access to safe free-choice food source, clean water and the safest living areas possible. □ Do not rely on automatic watering systems, because power may be lost. □ Establish escape routes to safe locations (higher elevation). □ Place your contact number and the name and number of your veterinarian on the building. After a Flood • Assess your animals and building structures. □ Survey damage to your barns and other structures; assess the stability and safety. □ Examine your animals closely; contact your veterinarian if you observe injuries or signs of illness. • Return animals only after the threat has passed and the safety of buildings or the area has been assessed. □ Release animals in a safe and enclosed area until familiarity of the surroundings can occur. • Provide non-contaminated feed or water. □ Provide clean, uncontaminated water. □ Do not feed flood damaged or moldy feed or hay. □ Do not use any feed or forage that may have been contaminated by chemical or pesticides. • Animal disposal. □ Record any animal deaths. □ Check with your state or local authorities for proper disposal methods for animal carcasses. • Prevent illness. □ Keep animals away from flood waters which may contain harmful bacteria or chemicals. □ Monitor animals daily for signs of illness. Every year, flash floods claim more lives in the United States than any other weather-related incident. The most common mistake is attempting to drive through a flooded area after a flood -- many drivers assume the waters are shallow enough to navigate. Travelers also encounter flash floods while camping or hiking in national parks and just about any other terrain with topography that includes hills, mountains, valleys, creeks and rivers.
Weather experts describe flash floods as “more water than you want in less time than you have.” Personal safety risks from flash floods can be minimized and avoided with smart planning. Here are 5 questions to ask in advance of a trip that will help travelers prepare for a flash flood. 1. Is an area flood-prone? Before setting up a campsite, pay attention to flash flood warning signs but don’t count on those signs to always be there. A deadly flash flood in June 2010 at Camp Albert Pike Recreation Area, a campground in Arkansas near the banks of the Little Missouri River, shows why due diligence is important. The area had experienced at least 10 river floods over the past 7 decades, yet no warning posters were present in the area. Don’t just rely on signs. Inquire with a campground office about an area’s flood history. When setting up a campsite, look for evidence of past floods, such as large logs littering a creek or riverbed and high-water marks on river banks and trees. Signs of past flooding in a canyon include water stains on canyon walls and debris hanging from bushes and low branches. 2. Does the weather report call for a flood watch? Check the weather forecast before a hike or a camp outing. If a flood watch is in effect, potential exists for heavy rains to create flash flooding within 6 to 24 hours. Postponing a trip a day or 2 could save a life. When hiking in the West, pay particular attention to weather reports from July to mid-September. That’s when severe thunderstorms are most likely to develop quickly. Finally, if visiting a flood-prone city, “on the ground” weather reports are available from the local convention and visitor’s bureau. 3. Does the area have cell phone or radio towers? Know the risks of camping in remote areas without access to a cell phone or radio. Roughly 75% of flash flood fatalities occur at night, when rapidly rising water is more difficult to detect. A weather radio that can broadcast weather alerts is essential. Such websites as CellReception offer details on cell phone coverage within national parks. Also call the campgrounds to ask if it is located close to a radio tower (the Albert Pike campground was not close to a tower). 4. When should you avoid driving in a flood? If you notice while driving during a storm that the middle line on the road is no longer visible, heed this advice from the National Weather Service. “Turn around, don’t drown.” Just six inches of water is enough to lift a vehicle off the ground. If you are caught in rising water, abandon the vehicle and seek higher ground. If you are trapped, wait until the car partially fills with water. Doors locked from water pressure should open once the water pressure is the same on both sides of the door. Also, press your feet against the windshield, which should then pop off. Finally, never drive around a “Road Closed” sign. It’s closed for a reason. 5. Have you formulated an evacuation plan? As a record-breaking flash flood in 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee proved, travelers don’t need to be in rural areas to encounter a flash flood. Before booking a hotel room, ask if the hotel has an evacuation plan (such as a makeshift shelter), as well as back-up generators. “Have a list of phone numbers and websites handy for the local convention and visitor’s bureau and office of emergency management,” says Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. “If you’re driving, be prepared to fill up your gas tank when you arrive at your destination -- don’t wait until you’re leaving town.” Whether you’re set to embark on a hike, camp outing or long-distance drive, staying vigilant -- and recognizing the signs of a flash flood -- should keep you safe and dry. ![]() Published July 03, 2014 FoxNews.com Arthur strengthened to a hurricane in the Atlantic Thursday and threatened to give North Carolina a glancing blow on Independence Day, prompting thousands of vacationers and residents to leave parts of the state's popular flood-prone Outer Banks. The hurricane's maximum sustained winds Thursday morning were 80 mph as the storm's outer bands started to reach southern parts of North Carolina. Hatteras island was under a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and residents, with officials asking an estimated 35,000 people to leave through North Carolina Route 12, the only road on and off the island. Forecasters expect Arthur to whip past the Outer Banks -- a 200-mile string of narrow barrier islands with about 57,000 permanent residents -- on Friday without making landfall but still bringing rain, heavy winds, storm surge and dangerous rip tides. Before the storm hit, tourism officials had expected 250,000 people to travel to the Outer Banks for the holiday weekend. Gov. Pat McCrory warned people not to risk their safety by trying to salvage their barbecues and pre-paid beach vacations. "Don't put your stupid hat on," McCrory said, urging swimmers and surfers to avoid the water regardless of how good the waves might look. McCrory also declared a state of emergency for 25 coastal and adjoining counties. "Our major goal is to ensure that no lives are lost during this upcoming storm," including those of emergency workers, McCrory said. The National Hurricane Center predicted Arthur would swipe the North Carolina coast early Friday with winds of up to 85 mph and then be off the coast of New England later in the day, eventually making landfall in Canada's maritime provinces as a tropical storm. Outer Banks residents and out-of-town visitors who fail to evacuate ahead of the hurricane's expected arrival should prepare for possibly getting stuck for several days without food, water or power, National Hurricane Center forecaster Stacy Steward said Thursday. "We want the public to take this system very seriously, go ahead and start their preparations because time is beginning to run out," he said. The first named storm of the Atlantic season prompted a hurricane warning for much of the North Carolina coast. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for coastal areas in South Carolina and Virginia. On the Outer Banks' Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry, a voluntary evacuation was under way. Arthur is centered about 300 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving north near 9 mph. Officials, hotel owners and would-be vacationers as far north as New England were also carefully watching forecasts. The storm was enough of a concern that officials in Boston decided to move the annual Boston Pops July 4th concert and fireworks show up by a day because of potential heavy rain Friday night. And rip tides were a threat as far north as New Jersey. One of the Outer Banks visitors who planned to leave Thursday was Gary Reinhardt, 63, of Sarasota, Florida. "I'm worried about the road. It took way too long to get here," he said, a reference to the two-and-a-half hours it took him and his wife, Lori Reinhardt, to get onto the island last Sunday in normal summertime traffic, when no storms were in sight. Other areas of the Outer Banks were taking a cautious, but still-optimistic approach: No evacuations had been ordered for areas north of Hatteras, including the popular town of Kill Devil Hills, which was the site of the Wright brothers' first controlled, powered airplane flights in December 1903. Nancy Janitz, 60, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, said she was ready, thanks to technology. "I have my NOAA radio, and I keep tabs on Twitter and Facebook for updates," she said. "I'm as prepared as I can possibly be." Forecasters had thought Arthur would reach hurricane status later Thursday, but its increasing strength and a defined eye prompted them to revise the projection late Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported. The worst of the storm should occur at Cape Hatteras about dawn Friday, with 3 to 5 inches of rain and sustained winds up to 85 mph, said Tony Saavedra, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. But forecasters said that by later Friday, the effects of Arthur would be past the Outer Banks, with the rest of the weekend salvaged. In the Myrtle Beach area, the heart of South Carolina's $18 billion tourism industry, Arthur was expected to move in by Thursday night, spinning wind gusts from 40 to 50 mph toward the high-rise hotels and condominiums lining the oceanfront. Farther south, in Hilton Head Island on the state's southern tip, most were confident would pass well out at sea. "It will be a sold-out weekend," said Charlie Clark, a spokeswoman for the local Chamber of Commerce. "... We're not getting calls from visitors asking what's up with this storm." The Associated Press contributed to this report. ![]() Living on Cape Cod can be limiting in the choices regarding home insurance carriers. Most Cape Codders are familiar with the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriters Association or the "not so Fair Plan". A great alternative now available on Cape Cod is Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company which can be accessed through your local agent. UPCIC is proven to have comparative deductibles and premiums. Contact a local Cape Cod agent to provide you with a free quote to see if UPCIC can save you money on premium and/or provide better coverage for your home. UPCIC Financial Strength Has aligned itself with some of the best and most respected service providers in the industry. This functional structure affords UPCIC the opportunity to take advantage of a unique combination of financial strength, underwriting skills, analytical expertise and administrative capability. 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