National Flood Insurance Expired Sunday, Right Before Epic Rainfall

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By MATTHEW STURDEVANT
The Hartford Courant
10:44 a.m. CDT, March 31, 2010



Rivers are overflowing, basements are filling up with water and the National Flood Insurance Program expired Sunday.

Standard homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flooding that pours into a house from the outside. In order to get coverage, some property owners buy into the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program. But the program was up for renewal, which the U.S. Senate did not do before its Easter break.

That means mortgages that require the homeowner to have flood insurance are on hold, and those who need to renew their policies aren't able to do so. It won't effect those who currently have insurance through the program and need to file a claim after this week's rain.

"Payments for claims on existing policies will not be impacted; such policies will continue uninterrupted," said Brad Carroll, press secretary for the Federal Emergency Management Agency which oversees the program.

The U.S. Senate could vote to continue the program when they reconvene starting April 12.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/hc-flood-insurance-0331,0,5300535.story