Personal Injury Law

Flood Insurance: Are you really covered?

After the recent flooding all across the area and right here in Nashville, Tennessee, many people are struggling to deal with damages to their homes, property damage, personal items being loss or destroyed and much more. After something like this happens, it is very emotional and many people can be very confused about what to do or who to turn to for help. If you call your insurance company, you may unfortunately find out that you are not covered by flood insurance or that the insurance only covers part of the damage. This can make the confusion and emotional process of it that much harder. Here at the Higgins Firm, we are a local firm located right here in Nashville and we understand what flooding can do to your home, property and lives because we were recently affected by the flooding as well. We care about you and your property and want to help you get the answers you seek and the help you need.

Many people tend to think that when you buy insurance that it covers everything, your home and all the property inside of your home as well. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Most insurance agents may not explain to their customers as well as they should, that they may need additional flood coverage to cover the home and items lost or damaged during a flood. People get insurance for a reason, and it is to make sure they are covered and can feel protected when things like floods occur. Therefore, if an insurance agent fails to properly explain about flood coverage then the agent should be the one at fault when it comes to misleading or not explaining things properly to their customers. In Tennessee, insurance agents have a duty to explain to their clients about their coverage and the importance of it, including flood coverage. They should not just assume that their clients know that they are not covered.

Here are some facts about flood insurance from Floodsmart.gov that every customer should know:
? Homeowners insurance usually does not cover floods
? Just an inch of water can cause damage to your property
? New land development and construction may increase a flood risk
? It may take 30 days after purchasing for a policy to go into effect
? If you live in a moderate to low risk flooding area, you may still be eligible for flood insurance

References and for more information about flooding and flood insurance tips, you may visit:

http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flood_facts.jsp

Full post as published by Tennessee Law Blog on May 17, 2010 (boomark / email).