Flood Facts

Risk

• Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the United States.
• Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to property. As little as six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet or move your car.
• Everyone is at risk.
• Most homeowners insurance doesn't cover flood damage.
• More than 50 percent of properties in high-risk areas remain unprotected by flood insurance; all properties in high-risk areas need to be protected with flood insurance.
• Between 20 and 25 percent of all flood insurance claims are filed in low-to moderate-risk areas.
• New construction can increase flood risk, especially if it changes natural runoff paths.
• More than 5 million Americans are protected with flood insurance but millions more are unaware of their personal risk for property damage or options for protection.
• For building in high flood risk areas, there is a 26 percent chance of experiencing a flood during the life of a 30-year mortgage, compared to a nine percent chance of experiencing a fire.

Impact

• Flood losses in the United States averaged $2.4 billion per year for the last decade.
• The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has paid nearly $16 billion in flood insurance claims to policyholders during the 2005 hurricane seasons (as of August 31, 2006.)
• Federal disaster assistance is usually a loan that must be paid back with interest and is only available when a disaster has been federally declared.
• In the last 52 years, nearly 1,000 flood events have been designated as federally declared disasters.
• Nearly 75 percent of all federally declared disasters over the past five years involved flooding.