No home is completely safe from the risk of flooding. The cause of flooding varies – heavy rainfall, snow melt, dam failure and more – but the effect can be devastating. Did you know just one inch of water can cause more than $25,000 in damage to a home? Here are some ways to help protect your home and belongings from flood damage.

1. Purchase flood insurance. Standard Homeowners policies typically do not include flood protection. However, you can obtain flood insurance through the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program to cover flood loss, such as structural damage, flooring replacement, flood debris cleanup and coverage for your personal property. If you live in a particularly hazardous flood zone, your mortgage lender may have already required you to purchase flood insurance. If you’d like to learn more about how you can secure flood insurance, your Horace Mann representative can help.
2. Know your risk. Weather, construction and erosion can all play a part in helping you understand your flood risk. To see the risk of flooding in your area, check out FEMA’s flood map.
3. Take an inventory. No matter if you live in a high or low risk flooding area, you should still inventory your home’s valuables. Take pictures or videos of all major household items. Be sure to capture serial numbers, model numbers, receipts or appraisal figures as these will help if you ever have to file an insurance claim. Be sure to back up your pictures or videos to the Cloud or other storage devices. You should also keep birth certificates, passports, medical records and other important original documents in a waterproof or water-resistant safe or box.

Horace Mann Insurance Company and its affiliates underwrite Horace Mann home insurance. Flood insurance is underwritten by Wright Flood and is issued pursuant to the federal flood insurance program.

Source: floodsmart.gov

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