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Flood Insurance - Phew

October 30th, 2012 at 04:07 pm

First off, of course hoping everyone is safe on the east coast (& mid-west and everywhere the storms are affecting). What a mess!!

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I've mentioned before here that the flood ratings here are SO political. (As is everything?) So, I got a note from FEMA while we were on vacation how we had to get a letter from a public official stating where our property was on the flood maps? Something like that. ??? I sent it to my insurance agent who is pretty awesome and said he would take care of it. I had no doubt he would. (Um, okay FEMA why don't you tell me where I am on the flood map?!? What the heck am I supposed to know about this? Public official? Because public officials have nothing better to do?)

Usually our flood insurance is $300-ish (because initially zoned as basically "not a flood zone" - I think this is the cheapest it can be). So then I get a bill for $1600. Ouch! I look it up in the local news and stuff and no one mentions it. No one's complaining about all this insanity because no one even has flood insurance. (They can't afford their homes, they certainly have not bought flood insurance. Though I think you'd be insane not to - low lying area protected by levees. Plus, the insurance has been mandatory for a while).

I finally find some news blurb that our flood insurance is supposed to go up 20% per year to ease into the higher rates, which frankly I thought were more like $3k. This also makes no sense whatsoever. Because $300 increased 20% per year gets you nowhere near $1600 or $3k or whatever it is supposed to end up at. But, whatever! It's clearly not supposed to be $1600 for this year.

It's not due for several weeks, and so I figured stuff crossed in the mail and it would work itself out. Figured maybe I'd wait a few days before I bug insurance agent again. I was sure he took care of it. & I was pretty sure the bill was wrong.

So, phew! I got another FEMA bill today and it was more like $360. No explanation - no mention to ignore the other bill. But I can figure it out and I will keep a copy of both bills just in case there are any issues.

So, I am feeling relieved I am off the hook for $1300-ish dollars I was not expecting.

Actually, a while ago FEMA decided to cut out the insurance middlemen and just started billing us directly. I wonder if this "public official flood map" thing is the kind of thing they would usually communicate to the insurance agents. It doesn't make any sense. I wonder how many people don't understand the gobbedly-gook or don't have an insurance agent willing to deal with the extra work. Makes me wonder how many people blindly play too much.

4 Responses to “Flood Insurance - Phew”

  1. snafu Says:
    1351627939

    Glad your insurance statement was corrected. As I read your post I started wondering who got the FEMA contract for flood insurance. Did it go directly to one of the big re-insurers?

  2. Looking Forward Says:
    1351629750

    Jeez! What a headache! Glad (?... If you can be glad about a bill) it's going to cost less than expected.

  3. Petunia 100 Says:
    1351630127

    It is political. BF's inherited house is in a golf course community near Davis. BF says when the homes were being built, the Army Corps of Engineers determined the subdivision was in a flood plain. Some of the homeowners said we will just see about that. A week later, what do you know, the Army Corps of Engineers determined it wasn't a flood plain after all. Someone must be well connected.

    Congrats on the second much lower bill.

  4. Monkey Mama Says:
    1351652566

    @Snafu:

    "Policies can be purchased from local insurance agents and are administered by insurance companies but paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency"

    Kind of interesting because for whatever reason they kind of seemed to have cut out my insurance agent over the years. But I guess you still have to get flood insurance through an insurance agent? Either that or they just have not updated their website mumbo jumbo in a while.

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