| Everyone's jumping for joy as spring finally decides to | | | | away. |
| start thinking about making an appearance-except for | | | | If you live in one of the 19,000 communities that |
| people living near a flood plain. They're counting down | | | | participate in the National Flood Insurance Program you |
| the days until the next time they have to bail out their | | | | may be able to purchase flood insurance through the |
| basement! Unfortunately, they're going to be doing it on | | | | government; however, the premiums are stiff. You |
| their own. Here's a look at why home insurance | | | | could find yourself paying an extra $500 a year (or |
| quotes don't say anything about flooding, and what you | | | | more) to protect your home. If you live in a low-risk |
| can do to keep from being washed away. | | | | area, it usually isn't worth it. |
| The problem is that most insurers hand out home | | | | Since home insurance quotes don't include flood |
| insurance quotes and issue policies to multiple homes in | | | | damage, there are things you can do to keep your |
| a single neighborhood. So you, your neighbor, your | | | | house safe. Keep your gutters clean. Studies show |
| neighbor's neighbor and thirty other houses over a six | | | | that clogged gutters courtesy of sticks, leaves and |
| block radius could all be covered by the same | | | | other miscellaneous debris is the number one cause of |
| insurance carrier. Since floods don't have the good | | | | basement flooding. |
| manners to count the number of houses they're wiping | | | | Be sure your downspouts (the tubes connected to |
| out, insurance companies could rack up millions of | | | | your gutters) are pointing away from the house and |
| dollars in claims in a single afternoon. | | | | deposit water at least 2-3 feet away from your |
| Just look at Hurricane Katrina. | | | | foundation. Plant gardens in the yard, not against the |
| With that in mind, it's easy to understand why flood | | | | side of the house, as gardens retain water that will |
| coverage isn't standard issue with most home | | | | seep straight into your walls. Your home's grading |
| insurance quotes. Don't confuse water damage with | | | | should slope down at least six inches after the first |
| flooding. Damage from a burst pipe will often be | | | | four feet to facilitate drainage. If your grading needs |
| covered, but rainwater seeping into your foundation will | | | | work, use clean fill dirt rather than topsoil to create a |
| not. If you live in a low-risk area you may have the | | | | slope. |
| option to add flood insurance to your current policy for | | | | When it comes to flooding, an ounce of prevention is |
| an additional fee. If you're in a high risk area, or your | | | | worth tens of thousands of dollars worth of cure that |
| current carrier doesn't offer it, you may have to look | | | | isn't going to be included in any of your home insurance |
| elsewhere to keep your home from being swept | | | | quotes. |