Flood or Storm Damage: When is a Flood a Flood

1/13/2022 (Permalink)

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When Is A Flood A Flood?

Flooding is one of those issues that causes a lot of controversy around the idea of insurance coverage. While flood damage requires individual riders and sometimes special policies, storm damage is often covered under a typical business policy. Why is that, and what exactly is the difference between flood and stormwater damage? The critical issue is in the definition of flood and stormwater.

1. Flood Water

Flood water is defined by territory and natural formation. Therefore, overflowing rivers, lakes, creeks, watercourses and dams are considered floods. Water overflowing from these areas and into your building will require coverage from an individual insurance rider or policy.

2. Stormwater

Stormwater refers to water overflowing from drains due to backups or rainwater. This type of flood damage is considered damage from a storm or other humanmade issue. However, while most policies will cover this type of damage, you may require special insurance coverage for your surrounding property or possible business interruption.

3. Water Damage Overlap

There are instances where both rainwater and overflowing rivers cause flooding. In these instances, it is up to your insurer what items are covered or not, likely anything explicitly caused by rainwater and damaging your property will be covered, but this can be hard to prove.

4. Water Coverage and Recovery

The most practical thing to do is to get a flood insurance rider if you are in a moderate to high-risk flood zone. By covering multiple possibilities, you can ensure a better outcome. Call your insurer or a flood remediation specialist in the Valrico, FL, area to discuss your options further.

Flood damage is unique in that its causes vary wildly from natural occurrences to humanmade crisis but that it is not as broadly covered by insurance policies. Insurers define flood water and stormwater in different ways which may result in the necessity of multiple policies or riders.