As more Floridians turn to flood insurance, some are surprised by what is covered.
Jon in Sebastian emailed us when he discovered something about his federal flood policy.
“I found out that it doesn’t cover ‘loss of use’ of the home in the event of a flood,” he wrote.
That means no coverage for the cost of living elsewhere if the flood damage is too severe.
Robert Norberg of Arden Insurance in Lantana said this is standard with federal flood policies.
“They’ll pay the basic amount, but they won’t pay the additional amount, which can be thousands and thousands of dollars while you’re rebuilding,” he said.
Jon in Sebastian told us this is a “huge burden” on policyholders.
Norberg said federal flood policies also have a $250,000 limit on repairs from flooding.
Homeowners looking for better protection may need to look at private policies, as more insurers are now offering flood coverage.
“Some of them are a little more expensive, some of them are even cheaper,” Norberg said.
“They offer the additional living expenses, more of the bells and whistles, they offer replacement costs for personal property,” Norberg said.
