Wading Through Risk: How Flood Insurance Protects Your Most Prized Possessions

Flash floods caused by natural disasters like severe thunderstorms and coastal storms can occur unexpectedly. Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia, located in Kingwood, WV, offers local residents peace of mind through comprehensive flood insurance.

Why Flood Insurance Matters

Many homeowners in the US are unaware that floods are the most common and costly natural disasters. Worse, standard home insurance policies usually exclude flood damage coverage. Without the right protection, homeowners can be burdened with substantial repair and replacement costs.

Common Causes of Home Flooding

While natural disasters are an obvious cause of home floods, there are several other potential culprits, including:

  • Plumbing Failures
  • Sewage Backups
  • Appliance Malfunctions
  • Improper Drainage
  • Landscaping Issues
  • Foundation Cracks

Consulting with a local licensed insurance agent can help you evaluate your individual needs and select the best flood insurance coverage.

Protect Your Possessions

Investing in a comprehensive flood insurance policy is an excellent way to protect your valuable possessions from loss in a devastating flood. With the ever-changing climate and increasing frequency of extreme weather events, flood insurance is a necessity for homeowners who want to safeguard their homes and property.

Secure Your Future with Flood Insurance

It is crucial to proactively ensure the safety of your home and family from potential flood damage. Don’t wait until it’s too late and the unexpected happens. Contact a trusted insurance agent at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia in Kingwood, WV, and get your flood insurance quote today!

Do You Need Flood Insurance for Your West Virginia Home?

Our agents at the Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia serving the Kingwood, WV area want you to know and understand why flood insurance is an important policy for homeowners.

West Virginia is a state that experiences a variety of different types of weather each year, and some weather events can cause flooding, even in areas that are not prone to flooding. Nothing is worse than watching the water rise inside your home and feeling helpless to stop it. With proper flood insurance, at least you can take solace in knowing that you can quickly replace and repair many of your items after the water recedes.

Do You Need Flood Insurance for Your West Virginia Home?

With as many unusual weather events that have happened lately, it is a good idea to have flood insurance. Flood insurance will help you replace items lost due to flooding from a storm or if the flooding is caused by sewer backup that directly results from flooding.

Flood insurance will help you recoup items lost in a flood, such as your furnace, central air, clothing, and even your water heater and other items. You never know when a flood may occur in your home, so it is imperative that you have a policy in place to be on the safe side.

Contact the Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia

Our Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia agents, serving the Kingwood, WV area, are ready to assist you with all your insurance needs, including your flood insurance coverage. Call today for an appointment and get your flood insurance policy in place before the next storm.

Should I Get Flood Insurance Even If I Have Home Insurance?

When you already have home insurance through our office at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia in Kingwood, WV, it might seem redundant to get a flood insurance policy on top of that. You might think your home insurance policy provides all the damage coverage you could need. Through our years of experience as an insurance company, we’ve seen how underestimating the amount of coverage you need for your home can have devastating results. 

What does flood insurance cover?

Flood insurance covers damage from higher-than-normal amounts of water on typically dry land. Flooding can happen due to excessive rainfall after a dry spell, long stretches of rainy days in a row, or water from a body of water spilling over riverbanks and dams. When these disasters occur, flood insurance covers repair costs. In some cases, flood insurance can also cover replacing flood-damaged items. The specifics vary from policy to policy, so it’s always important to discuss what your policy covers with your insurance agent or company before making assumptions.

Why is flood insurance important to have in addition to home insurance?

Since many home insurance policies do not cover flooding-related expenses, flood insurance is essential to acquire even if you have home insurance. Flooding might not be a qualifying event for your home insurance policy. When you live in a “flood zone” or an area impacted heavily by flooding, your mortgage lender or other parties might require flood insurance. In these cases, home insurance isn’t enough to protect your property or valuables from flooding.

To avoid scrambling in an emergency, call our office at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia in Kingwood, WV for a flood insurance quote.

Does Flood Insurance Cover Wind-Driven Rain?

There are many natural disasters across the country and in Kingwood, WV. The chance for severe storms with high winds is a primary concern for most and can create significant losses. It’s always a great idea to have flood insurance in especially prone areas experiencing flooding, but does flood insurance cover wind-driven rain? Let the experts at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia help. 

Flood Insurance

Flood insurance is a government-backed program that covers the costs of losses and repairs to property resulting from a covered flooding event. However, this FEMA-backed insurance only covers the damage caused directly by flooding. Your homeowner’s insurance covers damage from wind-driven rain. 

Our agents are ready to assist if you want to purchase a flood insurance policy. They can assess your current situation and help determine if you need flood insurance based on your location and its history of flooding. They can recommend the type of insurance that best suits each situation to ensure customers get the best protection available to them. Additionally, they can help with purchasing the policy and submitting the necessary documents. If any adjustments are needed in the future or claim submissions, they are there to help. 

Reach Out Today

Anyone in the Kingwood, WV area looking for reliable insurance products can count on the Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia team to help them create a layer of protection that offers peace of mind. Call or stop by the office today to speak to an agent. We are proud to help the residents in and around the area to ensure they get the solutions they need to protect their assets. 

Why Flood Insurance Is A Must Even If You Don’t Live In A Flood Zone

With flood zones constantly changing due to evolving weather patterns and other factors, it is possible not to live in a flood-prone area one day and be in one the next. While it may be tempting to believe that your homeowner’s insurance will cover flood-related damage, it is often one commonly excluded peril. Consequently, you can be on the hook for thousands of dollars in repair costs – for even minimal damage – if you do not have flood insurance. If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area, as defined by FEMA, you’ll likely be required to purchase flood insurance if you have a federally backed mortgage. FEMA defines flood zones as places with a significantly higher statistical probability of a flood occurring. 

Flood insurance will cover the replacement cost of your home or the actual cash value of damages to your policy maximum, making it important to choose coverage amounts that accurately reflect the value of your home and personal belongings. Flood insurance can be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program if you are in a high-risk zone or through private insurers like the Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia. With most policies taking 30 days from the point of purchase to be effective, you’ll want to purchase flood insurance now to avoid costly repair bills in the future.

For further information on flood insurance, give our Kingwood, WV office a call to schedule a complimentary consultation with a knowledgeable insurance professional that can answer your questions and help with selecting the best policy for your needs.

5 Reasons to Purchase Flood Insurance

If you’re like many homeowners in the Kingwood, WV area, you’re probably wondering if flood insurance is really a need, especially if you don’t live in a high-risk flood zone. The truth is that flooding can occur almost anywhere. Without flood coverage, you risk losing your home. At Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia, we want you to make smart insurance choices. Here are a few reasons why we believe you should seriously consider flood coverage.

Saves You from Financial Ruin

Flooding can totally devastate a home, not to mention ruin everything inside. Without insurance coverage, you could suffer substantial financial loss. With flood insurance, you’ll have the financial help you need to recuperate from flood loss.

Home Insurance Doesn’t Cover Flooding

Home insurance does NOT cover flood damage, putting you at risk of having to pay for damage on your own. Unless you have the financial means to recover from a flood, it only makes sense to protect your home with flood insurance.

Floods Can Occur Anywhere

Floods aren’t restricted to high-risk flood zones. Floods can and have occurred in both low and moderate risk areas, putting almost all homeowners in Kingwood WV at risk of flood damage. That’s why it’s so important to be prepared with flood coverage.

Flood Coverage is Affordable for People Who Don’t Live in Flood Zones  

Flood insurance is affordable if you don’t live in a flood zone, giving you no reason not to protect your home with flood coverage.

Peace of Mind

Flood insurance will give you peace of mind that you’re protected from potential flood disasters. Taking into consideration the devastation that flooding can cause, that alone is worth the cost.

For more information about flood insurance coverage and costs, contact Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia.

Is flood insurance required in West Virginia?

The Kingwood, WV area can be a great place to live and own property. If you do own real estate in this area, it is vital that you get the insurance that you need for it. One form of coverage that you may need to get could be flood insurance. There are several situations when having flood insurance will be a requirement for you. 

When In a Flood Zone

The first situation when you could be required to carry flood insurance is if you are in a flood zone. People all over the state of West Virginia could live in an area that FEMA considers to be at risk for flood damage. If you are in one of these zones, your mortgage lender will often be required to force you to carry flood insurance. 

Association Requirements

Another situation when you could be required to carry flood insurance is if you are in an area that has a home association. Community associations across the country want to make sure that property owners can rebuild their homes if they are damaged. When you get flood insurance, it will reduce the risk that your home will be damaged without any ability to restore it. Due to this, many associations located in flood zones do require that their property owners carry flood insurance at all times.

For those that are in the Kingwood, WV area, and need to get flood insurance to meet their requirements, contacting the team at the Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia is a necessity. When you speak with the team at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia, you will receive the guidance and support you need to choose a quality flood insurance policy. This will ensure that your home is adequately covered against this risk. Contact our office for more information.

3 Tips for Buying Flood Insurance

If you haven’t thought about flood insurance, now is the time. Flooding does happen in West Virginia due to inclement weather, but that’s not the only cause of flooding. Faulty pipes or an old roof can also cause property flooding. To protect yourself and your assets, it’s a good idea to purchase flood insurance to protect your home in Kingwood, Morgantown, or anywhere in the state. Read on to learn about tips for finding the right policy within your budget.

1. Bundle Your Policies

When you bundle all of your insurance policies under one company, you save money on your premiums. Combine your new flood insurance policy with your auto, life, home, umbrella, or other policies under one insurance provider. An agent from Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia in Kingwood, WV can help you with this.

2. Compare Quotes

It’s recommended to compare several flood insurance quotes before making a decision. Go over the details carefully and have an insurance agent help you, so you don’t miss anything important. 

3. Work with a Reputable Agent

An experienced, reputable agent will help you find the right coverage at a cost you can afford. When it comes to protecting you, your family, and your assets, you need the proper coverage. Don’t try to do it on your own when agents are standing by to help.

To learn more about purchasing flood insurance for your property in West Virginia, contact the team at Smith Insurance Agency of West Virginia in Kingwood, WV. We will answer all your questions and get you started on a quote for flood insurance.