Two-thirds of Floridians have no flood insurance
Submitted by AAA
AAA The Auto Club Group is releasing new findings from its annual hurricane season survey.
According to the survey, about 1-in-5 Florida residents (19%) do NOT make advanced preparations for hurricane season or severe weather. Even more concerning, 24% say they would ignore warnings to evacuate in the event of a hurricane. Of those who would evacuate, more than half (56%) say they would not leave their homes unless an approaching hurricane was a category 3 or stronger.
As for the reasons for ignoring evacuation warnings:
• Want to stay in case there’s damage to their home or property that they can fix — 40%
• Can’t bring their pets/Don’t have a safe option for them — 30%
• Believe the storm will turn away from their direction — 22%
• Don’t know where to go — 18%
• Fear of looting after the storm — 17%
• Financial reasons (example, can’t afford a hotel) — 15%
“Staying in the path of a potentially deadly storm is just not worth the risk,” said Mark Jenkins, Public Relations Manager for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Take steps now to develop an evacuation plan for your family and pets. If you’re worried about property damage, contact your insurance advisor. Having adequate coverage will give you the peace-of-mind in knowing that anything damaged while you’re gone can be repaired or replaced.”
As for flood insurance, 22% of Floridians, according to the survey, did not know their homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage — and 67% of Floridians do not have flood insurance. Among the reasons cited were:
• I do not live in a flood zone — 57%
• I have never had flooding problems before — 34%
• It’s too expensive — 24%
• I have homeowner’s insurance, that should be enough — 9%
And, if you’re going to get flood insurance for your home or property, don’t wait until there’s a storm bearing down. There is a 30-day waiting period for all new flood insurance policies issued through the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).
Nearly 40% of all flood insurance claims come from homes which are not considered high-risk flood zones. And, flood losses are costly. One inch of water in your home can cost $25,000 or more to repair.
