In Galveston, Texas, you need flood insurance to protect your home from flood damage because most homeowners’ insurance policies don’t cover damage from floods. They tend to cover wind-driven rain damage, but floodwater entering your home isn’t classified as wind-driven rain damage.
Cause of damage
If a storm damages your roof, allowing water to get inside your house, then this is wind-driven rain damage. Your homeowner’s insurance policy will probably cover this. You should always read the terms of your policy to know for certain. Flood insurance policies typically don’t cover water damage from winds. It’s strictly for floods. Because of the differences in what these types of insurance cover, you need both types to financially protect yourself from natural disasters in Galveston, Texas.
Record damage and clean up
It’s important that you promptly record the damage to your property and clean up after a natural disaster. Most homeowners’ and flood insurance policies don’t cover mold damage unless you can prove you took the necessary steps to prevent mold from growing.
Take photos and videos of the damaged property, including that which you plan on throwing out. You should also write down where you purchased the item, its brand name, how much it cost, the model and serial number, location of the item in your home and the quantity of the item.
Don’t pay for cleaning too soon
Paying a company to clean or repair your damaged property before talking to your insurance company could leave you unable to make a claim. If you need to prevent further damage to your property while you contact your insurer, you can cover it with a tarp.
Not all water damage is flood damage, so it’s important to understand what each of your insurance policies covers. You may need to pay for a separate flood insurance policy to recover damages when floodwaters reach your property.
