As floodwaters rise in California, flood insurance covers few homeowners

Flood insurance - Home near rising waters

Rainstorms have been soaking the state, placing property owners at risk of uncovered water damage. Throughout the entire state of California, only about 230,000 homes and other properties are covered by flood insurance policies. This coverage is not included in standard home policies, leaving Californians vulnerable. Therefore, only about 2 percent of California properties have flood insurance coverage against rising waters from storms such as those that have been soaking the state in recent weeks. For most of the properties that are covered, the federal government is the insurer. About…

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Commissioner Lara reminds state to review California insurance coverage

California insurance - Flag for California

The recommendation is to know exactly what is covered from floods and mudslides caused by wildfires. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued a formal notice to insurers to inform them that it is their legal duty to provide California insurance coverage for any future disaster such as mudslides caused by the recent wildfires. Those wildfires have left hillsides weakened, increasing risks such as mudslides and flooding. Residents in wildfire burn areas who are at an even higher vulnerability are being advised to check their California insurance coverage to be familiar…

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State Farm’s top location for frozen pipe damage isn’t where you’d think

Frozen Pipe Damage on Building

The insurer has released a list of the top states where water pipes have burst from cold. State Farm has released a list of the top ten states for frozen pipe damage and winter water losses for 2022, and the location at the top of the list might surprise you. Texas was, by quite a large amount, the most expensive state for such damages. Texas claim costs of this nature through State Farm reached approximately $64 million in 2022. As high as the frozen pipe costs were in Texas last…

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Colorado homeowners scramble to find affordable wildfire insurance

Wildfire insurance - Homeowners Coverage

State lawmakers are pursuing a government-run plan for property owners to use as a last resort. Residents of Colorado are well aware of the importance of wildfire insurance, following several years of major blazes. That said, they are struggling to find the coverage they need, particularly at an affordable price. State Representative Judy Amabile (D) has seen her own neighbors and constituents struggling. “I am starting to hear some of my neighbors are not getting renewed and I would have never dreamed I was at risk of a wildfire,” said…

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Florida to pay up to $5M in insurance deductibles for hurricane victims

Insurance deductibles - hurricane damage

Low- and moderate-income families most affected by Hurricane Ian may qualify for this support. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation is offering $5 million to help pay the insurance deductibles of low- and moderate-income victims of Hurricane Ian, announced Governor Ron DeSantis. The money is meant to help those families to cover the out-of-pocket portion of their home coverage. The corporation functions as the housing finance agency in the state and receives funding from the state for the SHIP program (State Housing Initiatives Partnership). There is $5 million reserved for use…

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Hurricane Ian leaves an estimated $17 billion in uninsured damages behind

Hurricane Ian - Damage to home from a hurricane

Initial estimates from the storm’s destruction are now being released, and much of it is not covered. Homeowners in Florida and other states along Hurricane Ian’s path could face uninsured losses as high as $17 billion due to flooding damage, according to new estimates released by CoreLogic. The estimates show that damages not covered by insurance will be between $10 billion and $17 billion. The uninsured losses from Hurricane Ian are expected to be nearly the same as what the covered losses are predicted to be, which is somewhere in…

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Connecticut flood insurance rates rise, and fewer homes are covered

Flood insurance - Welcome to Connecticut Sign

Though the last 12 months have been essentially free of flooding, there have been several near misses. Even though there have been only 18 Connecticut flood insurance claims filed in the last 12 months ending at the close of June, the rates in the state will still be rising. The rates are causing many state residents to take the risk without coverage for their properties. There have been several recent reminders that storms are fierce and quite close – Hurricane Fiona washed full structures away in Nova Scotia and other…

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