By Jeff St. John
Flood Specialist
Flood Safety Awareness Week is a week of daily featuresprovided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This year, Flood Safety Awareness Week falls on March 18th and continues through March 22nd. The week is meant to call attention to the steps each of us can take to become more informed about flood safety. While each day highlights an important part of flood safety, we would like to make sure that you catch Thursday's feature. Thursday's feature will include the promotion of determining flood risk and having flood insurance. Many homeowners do not realize that flood insurance is separate from their homeowners insurance policies. It is the responsibility of the agent to remind clients that they will need to purchase flood insurance separately. There is a great way to remember to offer flood insurance with every policy and it is called the ACORD 60 form. The ACORD 60 form is a great way for a client to focus on purchasing flood insurance and take flood preparation and safety into serious consideration. Offering flood insurance will be an especially important part of flood safety as we head into the spring flooding season.While spring brings the promise of warm weather and longer days, it also brings a variety of conditions that can cause flooding. This includes heavy rains, severe weather, rapid snowmelt, and ice jams that can all increase flood risk. Flood insurance will help your clients recover from all of the spring flooding hazards. Typically, there is a 30-day waiting period on new flood insurance policies, so the time to help your clients prepare is now. NOAA is offering a lot of great flood safety tips and resources during Flood Safety Awareness Week this year, but these tips can also raise a lot of questions. Big "I" Floodis ready to help answer those questions. We are your flood insurance resource and have you covered –In, Above and Outside of the NFIP!