WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The flooding this week in Vermont from torrential rain is once again raising awareness about flood insurance, including in South Florida.
"Areas that normally do not flood have flooding," Robert Norberg, of Arden Insurance in Lantana, said. "...If that comes through your house and you don't have flood insurance, you're going to have a big problem."
It was a big problem in Fort Lauderdale in April, when 25 inches of rain fell in just 12 hours, inundating the airport and neighborhoods.
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Citizens Insurance policyholders face flood insurance mandate
"Times have changed and we're going to have more, bigger storms and more intense rains," Harold Wanless, a climate change researcher at the University of Miami, said.
Flood insurance is now widely available not just from the federal government but also from private insurers, which Norberg points out can provide better coverage.
Policyholders from Citizens are also now being directed to get flood insurance.
"Citizens now requires all their policyholders coming in for new business, in high-hazard areas to provide flood, unless you're in a condo situation," Norberg said.
Overall, the changing climate picture is creating a stressful situation for insurance companies, especially in a hurricane zone.
"There's going to come a point that we won't be able to get insurance that we want, except at ridiculous prices," Wanless said.
Flood insurance is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, including for windstorms.
The National Flood Insurance Program is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is delivered to the public by a network of more than 50 insurance companies and the NFIP Direct.
