Are you worried that your home is located in a flood zone?
Today, greater than 8.7 million properties are located in high-risk flood zones throughout America. With thanks to climate change, flooding has become an increasingly common reality for many of today’s residences. The good news is that knowing you’re located in a flood zone means you can prepare ahead of time for flooding.
Whether you’re looking to purchase a home or you’re already living in said home, it’s crucial to know if your home is susceptible to flooding. To help, we’re sharing three simple and effective ways to know whether or not your home is located in a flood zone.
1. Consider Your Surroundings
First things first, look around!
You can generally determine if you’re located in a flood zone simply by taking note of your surroundings. Are there large bodies of water across the street? Do you see any homes on stilts? Are there visible flood walls?
Of course, any home located next to a river or a lake will be at higher flooding risk. Even if your home isn’t directly next to a body of water, flooding is still possible. By examining your surroundings and your neighboring homes, you’ll have a good idea as to whether or not you’re in a flood zone.
2. Use an Official FEMA Map
Next, you’re going to want to bring your attention to FEMA’s Map Service Center.
This is the most telling way to determine if your home is located in a flood zone. To do so, all you need to do is enter your home address into the FEMA website flood map. From here, a map will appear and reveal your home’s flood zone hazard and outline the probability of flooding each year.
This is a free service that can be utilized by all members of the public. If your home is located in a flood zone, the FEMA website makes it easy to connect with a flood insurance expert.
3. Understand the Different Flood Zones
You’ve determined that your home is located in an official flood zone. Now what?
With this, it’s important to understand that there are different levels of flood zone areas. For example, a home located in Zones B, X or C will have minimal risk of flooding. On the other hand, a home located in Zones A or V will experience a high risk of flooding.
If your home is located in a high-risk zone, it’s important to ensure that you have the right flood insurance policy. Be sure to check out Betterflood.com to learn more about flood insurance today.
Is Your Home in a Flood Zone?
Even if your home isn’t located next to a large body of water, it’s possible that your home is still in a flood zone.
As temperatures increase and water levels rise, a growing number of American homes are finding themselves in flood zones. In fact, all 50 states experience flooding to some degree. While being located in a flood zone isn’t the end of the world, it’s important to know what to look out for.
With our guide above, targeting a home in a flood zone is simple. From here, you can take all of the precautions necessary to prevent flood damage and protect yourself.
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