SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and other local level organizations are reminding residents that flood insurance can help protect their homes and businesses. Flood insurance can provide immediate financial assistance regardless of whether a major disaster is declared by the President. In 2019, devastating river flooding occurred in more than 33 counties and impacted 2.1 million residents. Throughout the 2019 flood season, the National Flood Insurance Program provided more than $19.7 million to Illinois homeowners who submitted flood insurance claims.
“Flooding is the most frequent and costly disaster in the U.S., and private flood policies may provide higher amounts of coverage than the NFIP” said IDOI Acting Director Dana Popish Severinghaus.
Managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the NFIP enables homeowners, business owners and renters in communities that participate in the program and adopt local floodplain regulations to purchase federally backed flood insurance. Although nearly 90 percent of communities in Illinois participate in the NFIP, a few communities in Illinois have not adopted local floodplain regulations and have not enrolled in NFIP.
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) can help you determine whether your property is located in a high-risk or a moderate- to low-risk area. These maps can be found online at http://msc.fema.gov/portal/search
Additional questions can be directed to a FEMA mapping specialist toll free at 1-877-336-2627. To find out if your community is enrolled in NFIP, visit https://www.fema.gov/cis/IL.html
For additional information about flood insurance, visit https://www.insureuonline.org/insureu_special_flood.htm
Author: Charles Van Horn
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