Flood Insurance: keep it simple.

With all the complexity of the National Flood Insurance Program and keeping up with changing regulations, rating procedures and flood zones, it's about time someone just explained it in 3 simple steps:

Focus on the water.

We start all of our no-cost assessments with the BFE. To know how the structure can be rated, the first thing you need to think about is how the water is going to flood it.

Think of a coastal VE Flood Zone, at the beach you see that waves could have dangerous heights when hitting the building. How is the building impacted?

Not two buildings are created equal.

Next, we need to think on how the waters would damage the structure as it floods. You can see how the water wouldn't damage the ground level as much if the structure is elevated on posts, compared to being built on grade. The house on the right seems like it would collapse with the waves, while the house on the left could stand tall above the waves.

What elevation can be used for rating?

After understanding the nature of the flooding and the building type, we look for the elevation of the structure that is at risk. (Close your eyes). Is the water going to hit the building? How high is that relative to the building? All we need to do is compare the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) to the elevations of the building.

Once we visualize the elevation difference, it's pretty easy to make conclusions about Flood Zone Removals. We'll always check for available engineering improvements or opportunities that could help our clients see a reduction in flood costs.

FEMA's Flood Maps provide a big picture view of your flood risk. What you really need is for your property to be analyzed in detail by the Experts. Our process is very simple. The review is always free, and from there we'll work on solutions to help you lower your flood costs and increase your property value.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo Da Vinci