Flood Insurance for Beaufort County Area Homeowners
The coast of South Carolina and North Carolina regularly receive damaging weather such as hurricanes, flash flooding, and torrential downpours.
According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the state of South Carolina has had damages of more than $7 billion in the last 12 years from flooding and hurricane events. If you’re asking yourself, do I need flood insurance? As a homeowner, are you prepared to shoulder the burden of the high costs associated with flooding? Just one inch of water throughout your home causes an average of $25,000 in damage.
Correll Insurance Group of Hilton Head Island has been providing Lowcountry homeowners and business owners with competent, competitive, and caring insurance services, including flood insurance since 1984.
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Homeowners Insurance and Flood Insurance Policies
Your homeowners' insurance policy most likely excludes coverage for damage resulting from flooding. So if you own a home, then you’ll need to add an additional flood insurance policy. This policy can cover:
- Flood preparation costs
- Damage to your home
- Damaged appliances
- Damaged goods, clothes, and other belongings
- Flood cleanup costs
Without flood insurance, you’d be left covering these expenses out of pocket.
Flood Insurance for Homeowners vs. Renters vs. Condo Owners
Do renters need flood insurance? What about flood insurance for condos?
Flood policies come with two separate types of coverage: building coverage and content coverage. If you own your home, then you need building coverage to pay for flood damage to the dwelling. You also might need content coverage to pay for damage done to the items inside your home. As a renter, all you need is content coverage, as you are likely not liable for costs associated with the dwelling itself.
For condo owners, the necessary coverage is not always clear. Many condo owners find they need both contents and building coverage, while others need contents-only coverage. In these situations, it is best to speak with an agent who can help you identify your risks before you purchase your policy.
As locals to the Hilton Head area, the independent agents at Correll Insurance Group of Hilton Head are familiar with reading condominium bylaws and covenants to advise you on your risk.
Common Misconceptions About Flood Insurance and Federal Aid
If you don’t believe that your home needs flood insurance, we encourage you to reconsider. Even homes whose FEMA flood risk-level changed recently should still consider flood insurance, as flood maps can change—and everyone in Beaufort County is in a flood zone. Even mild flooding that leads to only an inch of water in your home can lead to tens of thousands of dollars in damage—and federal disaster aid is limited and must be repaid.
The National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA Flood Maps
Most flood insurance policies are underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Congress created the NFIP in 1968 with two goals in mind:
- to provide affordable flood insurance to homeowners
- to create a sound floodplain management system
Today, you can purchase your flood insurance through the NFIP or through a private flood insurance market. Both options can be provided by a licensed insurance agent, such as Correll Insurance Group of Hilton Head. For more information on the FEMA program, please visit this site FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.
Many Beaufort County residents received notice from their mortgage companies in 2021 that their homes were no longer required to have flood insurance due to a change in FEMA flood maps. But this is very misleading: Hilton Head is a barrier island, and the chance of coastal flooding is incredibly high. Every resident should protect their homes with flood insurance.
Contact Correll Insurance Group of Hilton Head
Whether you are looking for your first flood insurance policy or you have questions about changes to your policy under the Biggert-Waters Reform Act of 2012 or FEMA’s 2023 flood map update, please reach out to our agents. We are happy to provide you with a free flood insurance review and talk to you about ways you can make the cost of flood insurance coverage more affordable.
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