No flood insurance leaves Florida families struggling after Ian

Washington, Oct 10 (Prensa Latina) U.S. families will take long time to recover their homes hit by Category 4 Hurricane Ian because they do not have flood insurance in the state of Florida, CNN reported.

October 10, 2022
15:27

Damage caused by the devastating storm amounted to $70 billion, $17 billion of which go to Floridians lacking flood insurance.

Homeowners insurance policies typically don’t cover flood damage, and most people living in Ian’s path across Florida didn’t have a separate flood insurance policy. Inland areas that experienced historic rainfall and catastrophic floodwaters were especially unprepared, according to a CNN analysis of FEMA flood insurance data.

But further inland, only about 4% of single-family homes in Seminole County, 3% of homes in Orange County and 2% of homes in Polk County are covered by flood insurance. All of those counties have reported significant flooding during Ian.

Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications at the Insurance Information Institute, described the situation as worrisome, especially in central Florida.

“People are going to be really disappointed when they see how much funding they’re getting and how short it is to help them recover,” Friedlander said.

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