Insurance agent talks about the importance of flood insurance

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Officials in Virginia and West Virginia have been focused on flood awareness recently. As you know, flooding is something we certainly deal with in our area of the Virginias.

One of the biggest weather dangers in our region is flooding. This can come from several different scenarios like thunderstorms or tropical systems. Therefore, having flood insurance may not be a bad idea for some people.

Kim Carderelli from Blue Ridge Insurance said if you’re in an area considered a high-risk flood zone and you have a mortgage, the lender has to require you to have flood insurance.

Carderelli said a common mistake people make is not realizing insurance rates can range significantly depending on what flood zone you you reside.

“It’s going to be a lower cost the lower your risk is, but it is always a good idea because obviously there could be torrential downpours anywhere and so even if you are not in a high-risk flood zone it’s still a great idea to purchase or to get quoted just to see,” said Carderelli. She added the Staunton flood in 2020 brought a lot more interest in purchasing flood insurance.

It doesn’t have to be from a large storm. Repetitive heavy rain over the course of a few days is the most common weather event that generates the most flood claims.

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