Flood FAQs

It’s a good idea to protect your home with flood insurance — no matter where you live. Flooding can happen even if you aren’t located near a river, lake or the oceans. A high percentage of flooding occurs in areas around the United States that aren’t near bodies of water. Having flood insurance adds another layer of protection to your home and is great for peace of mind.

You’ll typically find that properties in higher-risk flood zones mean higher flood insurance premiums than lower-risk flood zones. Ultimately, your premium is reflected by the flooding risk of the location you live.

Though a standard homeowners policy does not cover flood damage, you have options for protection. American Family offers an optional Inland Flood coverage* designed to protect against damage from certain types of floods. Another option is to get coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Your American Family agent is a great resource to help you find the coverage best for you — connect with them and they’ll help you add the right protection.

Not necessarily. For starters, the federal government would have to declare a disaster in the area where your property is located. Next, you would need to apply for assistance. As a rule of thumb, disaster assistance payments typically are small amounts and usually don’t cover all the damage. In many cases, the assistance may come as a loan that you would need to pay back in full.

A mortgage lender may require you to buy flood insurance because they want to protect their investment in your property. Usually, this means properties that have a federally backed mortgage and that are in high-risk flood zones are required to have flood insurance coverage. It’s important to note that the Flash Flood coverage*, though beneficial to have for many reasons, doesn’t satisfy the flood insurance requirement from lenders. The good news is you can meet this requirement through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Your American Family agent is a great resource to help you find the best protection for your home. Contact them and they’ll be able to walk you through your options.

Flood insurance is designed to protect you from costly damage that can occur to the structure of your home and personal property. Depending on the policy you purchase, it may cover your house’s foundation and structure, as well your clothes, furniture, electronics, appliances — all the things that make your house a home. Some coverages can even help cover debris removal and temporary living expenses if your home become uninhabitable due to damage from a flood.

There are many ways a flood insurance policy helps you recover from flood damage. Learn more about what’s specifically covered by visiting our flood insurance page.

You can also connect with your American Family agent to find out if you qualify for our optional Inland Flood coverage.* They’ll be able to answer your questions and get you the information you need.