flood waters entering houseNumber of Flood Claims By State and Calendar Year

Building Claims - FEMA

  2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Alabama 345 202 1,398 450 68 428 117 163
Alaska 66 46 22 7 8 6 1 4
Arizona 46 59 286 43 120 48 93 51
Arkansas 49 148 160 368 264 633 122 477
California 279 76 554 123 418 1,751 385 1,147
Colorado 59 2,267 86 326 54 44 51 58
Connecticut 6,242 69 73 22 25 51 418 38
Delaware 1,541 60 48 42 165 17 46 5
Florida 5,296 2,088 3,862 1,958 8,728 30,754 5,004 535
Georgia 168 497 156 660 1,290 2,384 290 158
Hawaii 110 16 68 41 88 43 509 14
Idaho 19 11 18 15 5 235 19 34
Illinois 71 4,348 657 977 214 971 626 968
Indiana 38 862 146 537 104 215 726 147
Iowa 18 436 592 113 651 65 320 563
Kansas 42 110 29 122 161 159 89 296
Kentucky 80 343 154 1,256 140 128 880 235
Louisiana 14,660 1,210 791 855 35,897 2,814 634 2,860
Maine 47 34 40 13 10 18 130 19
Maryland 1,712 138 428 138 262 107 583 136
Massachusetts 270 819 233 461 67 170 2,018 46
Michigan 112 479 784 96 113 320 547 506
Minnesota 164 92 289 21 118 13 63 241
Mississippi 2,354 469 312 175 886 683 365 577
Missouri 28 925 295 1,944 282 1,564 169 1,679
Montana 8 24 39 8 10 10 117 22
Nebraska 9 19 75 264 103 17 23 1,149
Nevada 58 24 71 31 15 163 6 6
New Hampshire 41 40 35 15 7 62 115 14
New Jersey 74,830 422 708 240 1,636 235 833 368
New Mexico 16 98 58 36 30 41 25 9
New York 57,477 988 1,511 319 218 846 861 278
North Carolina 978 537 638 783 6,653 267 16,304 1,468
North Dakota 56 167 44 10 7 4 8 95
Ohio 190 659 577 527 80 406 466 361
Oklahoma 37 351 36 751 189 108 55 595
Oregon 376 6 46 259 37 60 17 72
Pennsylvania 386 757 691 248 288 523 2,098 644
Rhode Island 1,082 39 43 25 3 8 55 8
South Carolina 138 282 136 5,678 7,120 2,535 1,666 178
South Dakota 47 14 59 54 6 3 19 458
Tennessee 140 541 194 139 182 410 137 733
Texas 2,064 1,911 1,132 12,407 13,767 91,612 3,230 12,474
Utah 13 18 12 24 12 28 10 20
Vermont 8 40 25 34 5 19 19 48
Virginia 1,421 353 426 517 2,747 160 831 377
Washington 172 58 108 656 148 108 69 26
West Virginia 213 130 70 288 1,095 170 249 41
Wisconsin 27 125 65 39 99 188 442 409
Wyoming 2 10 11 27 10 10 12 19
Total 173,605 23,417 18,291 34,142 84,605 141,614 41,872 30,829

source: FEMA

In 2019, there were 30,829 flood claims filed and paid. In other words, about 1 in 200 households carrying flood insurance filed a claim in 2019. While your odds of experiencing flooding in any given year may seem quite low, over a long period of time, the chances of having a significant flood loss grow.

Homeowners should know that there are many private flood carriers available. The private flood can offer some advantages over NFIP:

  Private Flood NFIP (Public)
Underwriting Questions 12 60
Elevation Certificate Required No Yes
Max Building Limit $2,000,000 $250,000
Waiting Period 15 days 30 days
Lender Accepted Yes Yes
Building Coverage Replacement Cost Replacement Cost
Contents Coverage Replacement Cost Actual Cash Value

If you are looking for flood insurance, it's best to check multiple options. Young Alfred works with many private flood insurance companies, as well as NFIP.

Compare Flood Insurance 

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Young Alfred