Insurance is failing hurricane survivors: 'People thought they were covered' [View all]

By Lauren Aratani in New York
Published Sat 12 Oct 2024 06.00 EDT

As millions of US residents begin working to file insurance claims on their homes in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many could be denied, particularly if their homes were damaged by flooding.

A quirk in the US home insurance market is that flood insurance is separate from typical home insurance, which usually covers wind damage from hurricanes but not flooding. Homeowners must purchase flood insurance separately if they want their homes protected against flooding.

And many don’t. In some areas where Hurricane Helene hit the hardest, less than 1% of homes had flood insurance when the storm hit. In Buncombe county in North Carolina, home to Asheville, only 0.9% of homes had flood insurance, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/12/flood-insurance-hurricane-milton-helene