FEMA: Flood Ins. Renewal Extension Ends Soon

By Kerry Smith FEMA gave some Fla. homeowners extra time to renew flood insurance due to the storms, and reps are going door-to-door to contact 11K owners who can still do so.

WASHINGTON – The deadline is approaching for some National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders in Florida areas impacted by Hurricane Ian to renew their policies without the consequence of a lapse in coverage.

NFIP previously announced that Florida policyholders impacted by Hurricane Ian have a 90-day grace period to renew – an increase from the usual 30-day grace period. That gave existing policyholders who failed to renew extra time, and a greater chance that Ian water damage – or Nicole water damage – would be covered under NFIP.

The extended grace period applies to policyholders whose flood insurance policy expired on Aug. 25, 2022, through and including Oct. 23, 2022. This means policyholders with an original renewal date of Aug. 25 have already missed the window to reapply. Their deadline expired last Wednesday, Nov. 23. However, a policy scheduled to expire on the last day, Oct. 23, can now be renewed up to Feb. 21, 2023.

FEMA has identified over 11,000 policyholders in Florida who may still be able to renew their policy due to the grace period extension, though about 220 policyholders lost out on Nov. 23.

As of Nov. 21, more than 45,000 policyholders have submitted flood insurance claims for damage from Hurricane Ian. The majority of these claims are in Florida. The National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than $706 million in total claims payouts to insured policyholders.

Policyholders still eligible to renew their flood insurance policy should contact their agent or insurance company today. Policyholders who don’t have their insurance agent or company’s contact information can call (877) 336-2627 for assistance. © 2022 Florida Realtors®