Other Useful Links

FEMA Flood Smart Web Site to Evaluate Need for Flood Insurance To learn whether a homeowner needs flood insurance, start by finding out whether the property is in an area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a high flood risk. Simply enter the property’s address on FEMA's Flood Smart Web site ( www.floodsmart.gov ). If the Web site says the area is high risk, it’s smart -- and probably required by mortgage lenders -- to have insurance. But even if the Web site indicates that the property has a low to moderate risk of flooding, it is worth consulting neighbors and the local planning agency about past floods in the area. The government sets rates so premiums are the same no matter where the insurance is purchased. Policies are restricted to $250,000 on the structure and $100,000 on contents -- sold separately with a discount for buying both.