Flood Insurance is Peace of Mind Insurance

Your property isn’t just an address. It’s where memories are made, where you spend cherished time with friends and family, and where you go to relax. Especially now as you are spending more time working or learning from home, what better time to show appreciation for your property than by purchasing flood insurance or renewing an existing flood insurance policy?

You may think that your property is already protected if it is outside of a mapped floodplain, but it is important to remember that flooding can happen anywhere.

Traditional homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover flooding and with precipitation rates on the rise in our community, flood insurance has never been more important. You can think of it as peace of mind insurance. Over the past three years, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have averaged nearly 56 inches of rain per year as recorded at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, one of the rainfall measuring stations in our area. That’s 15 inches over our typical annual rainfall average of 41 inches per year. 

Luckily, purchasing flood insurance is easy! The National Flood Insurance Program is available to everyone (even if you do not live in a mapped floodplain). Please note that there is typically a 30-day waiting period after purchasing before the policy takes effect. You can learn more and purchase flood insurance by visiting https://www.floodsmart.gov/. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services offers great resources, including safety tips, videos, rainfall and stream level data and more to help you and your family prepare for and remain safe during and after a significant rain event. You can view this information by visiting Storm Water Services’ Flood Preparedness and Safety web page. 

In addition, you can find out if your property is located in a mapped floodplain by typing the address in this interactive floodzone map. If you do live in the FEMA regulated floodplain, you can visit our retroFIT web page for information on how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services could help reduce flood risks and damage to your property. 

Great resources are also available to help guide you through Storm Water Services’ Floodplain Buyout Program.

To learn more about how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services works every day to minimize flood risks in our community, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you experience a drainage concern on your property, you can report it by calling 3-1-1 weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., online seven days a week or by using the CLT+ app on your smartphone.