It's Hurrican Season, do you have flood insurance?
Charleston, SC 29407, USA
FEMA-Flood Certificate-Flood Elevation
"I lived here all my life and it's never flooded"
Unfortunately, we hear these words a lot. Living in the lowcountry is geographically a location that is susceptible to flooding for a number of reasons. The number one reason that comes to mind are hurricanes and tropical storms which can bring in storm surges that surpass expectations and cause much damage to your home or business. The second is new development. New development can add imperious surface areas which denies saturation and natural water flow. Areas that have normally been uncommon flooding areas are becoming more and more susceptible to flooding.
Insurance and Surveyors
Insurance company's use Elevation Certificates to rate your flood insurance premiums, therefore it is in your best interest to have a certificate that reflects the conditions of your home or business. The current FEMA Flood certificate contains questions on the openings around the crawlspace of the structure - how high the openings are and how many openings are around the structure.
Flood certificates can be used from prior flood policies, but you don't know if it reflects the current characteristic's of the home or business for proper coverage ratings.
Look up the flood zone for your home or business
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE)
What is a BFE?
The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and on flood profiles.
The BFE is the regulatory requirement for the elevation or flood proofing of structures. The relationship between the BFE and a structure's elevation determines the flood insurance premium.
Various flood Zones
Flood Zone Definitions
Zone C, Zone X - Areas determined to be outside 500-year flood plain .
1% and 0.2% annual chance flood plains.
Zone B, Zone X500 - Areas of 500-year flood; areas of 100-year flood with average depths of less than 1 foot or with drainage areas less than 1 square mile; and areas protected by levees from 100-year flood. An area inundated by 0.2% annual chance flooding.
Zone A - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding, for which no BFEs have been determined.
Zone AE - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding, for which BFEs have been
determined.
Zone VE - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding with velocity hazards