Flood Insurance, Check If You Are Covered
MADISON, Wis. - About 50 Wisconsin communities, including flood-damaged Lake Delton and La Valle, have dropped out of the federal flood insurance program, making residents ineligible for federal aid, state and federal officials said.
Residents in communities lacking the insurance won’t receive federal disaster assistance even if a federal disaster is declared in their area, said Philip Clark, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency regional office in Chicago.
But, communities can rejoin the program within six months of a disaster declaration, allowing residents to file claims for past damage, said Roxanne Gray, state hazard mitigation officer with Wisconsin Emergency Management.
The state will work with FEMA and local communities to get them back into the program, Gray said, adding that that process could take several months.
Along with qualifying residents for disaster assistance, the National Flood Insurance Program lets home and business owners buy federally subsidized flood insurance that pays out even if no federal disaster is declared after a flood, Clark said.
Homeowners in frequently flooded areas that dropped out of the program may find it extremely expensive or impossible to get private flood insurance, Gray said.
Read more here from the Chicago Tribune
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