12/11/2025
📣 Important Flooding & Insurance Info for Washington Homeowners 🌧️🏠
With the heavy rainfall & widespread flooding affecting communities across Washington state, we want to share helpful information about what your insurance typically covers — and what it doesn’t — so you’re prepared and informed.
📍 What Standard Homeowners Insurance Usually Covers
Most standard homeowners policies in WA will cover damage from perils like fire, wind, hail, and certain water damage from sudden and accidental sources where water comes from inside the home (like burst pipes). However:
• Flood damage — including rising water from rivers, creeks, or storm runoff — is not expected to be covered under a typical homeowners insurance policy. You need a separate flood insurance policy for that.
📍 What Flood Insurance (through FEMA’s NFIP) typically covers
To protect your home from flooding, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides coverage that must be purchased separately from your standard policy. Flood insurance generally helps cover:
• Structural damage to your home caused directly by flooding
• Damage to your personal belongings from floodwater
• Some additional living expenses if your home is uninhabitable after a flood (depending on your policy)
Policies under the NFIP typically have limits (e.g., up to certain amounts for building and contents) and often take 30 days to become effective, so it’s important to plan ahead.
⚠️ Important: Flood insurance does not typically cover damage from things like landslides or mudflows that aren’t directly caused by rising water, and it does not duplicate coverage you already have through homeowners insurance.
📍 FEMA & Federal Support
If a major disaster is declared by the President, FEMA may provide limited assistance for losses not covered by insurance — but FEMA assistance is not a replacement for flood insurance and usually only helps with specific unmet needs.
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📞 Helpful Contact Numbers
Nancy Collingsworth State Farm
☎️ 425-643-6505 – Call us with questions about your coverage or if you need flood insurance quotes (there is a 30-day waiting period for new policies).
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
☎️ 1-800-621-3362 – FEMA Helpline for disaster assistance questions & applications.
Washington State Emergency Management Division
☎️ 800-562-6108 – State emergency management info and support.
Federal Emergency Management Agency — Region X (WA)
☎️ 425-487-4600 – FEMA regional contact for Washington state.
Local Emergency Management Contacts (examples):
• King County Emergency Management – (King County specific)
📌 Stay safe: Follow evacuation orders, avoid driving through flooded roads, and take photos/video of damage for any potential insurance claims.
We’re here to help you understand your coverage and prepare for future weather events. 📲 Call us anytime at 425-643-6505!
