Louisiana Flood Insurance: The policy your home insurance leaves out.

The policy too many South Louisiana homes still don't have. Yet.

Here's the part that surprises almost everyone, so we'll put it first: your homeowners policy doesn't cover flood damage. Rising water, storm surge and water from overwhelmed bayous, canals and drainage are excluded from standard home, condo and renters policies. It doesn't matter how long you've had the policy. Flood coverage is its own policy, usually written through the federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The second thing to know is how flooding shows up here. Sometimes it's a hurricane pushing Gulf water inland. Sometimes it's days of rain with nowhere to go, like the August 2016 flood that swamped Lafayette and much of Acadiana, far from the coast. Lenders only require flood insurance in high-risk zones, but the zone that triggers the mandate and the water that reaches your house don't always line up.

The third thing is timing. A new NFIP policy has a 30-day waiting period in most cases. By the time a named storm shows up in the forecast, it's usually too late to buy coverage for that storm.

That's where we come in. We can help you get a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy. We'll look up your flood zone, size the building and contents limits to your actual house, and show you how the flood policy fits next to your home and auto coverage. Call (985) 876-0116.

The four decisions that shape your flood policy.

Flood insurance looks simple until you read the policy. These are the choices that decide what a claim actually pays.

1. An NFIP policy, through your local insurance agent

The National Flood Insurance Program is the federal flood program: standardized coverage with set limits, sold through insurance agents. David Ohlmeyer Jr. and his team can help you get a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy.

Flood rarely happens in isolation. The same storm that fills a canal can damage a roof, flood a truck and knock out the power for a week. Keeping your home, auto and flood coverage with one local agency means one team that knows the whole plan, and one number to call: (985) 876-0116.

2. The building limit, and the cap above it

Your building limit should track what it costs to rebuild the house, the same logic as your homeowners dwelling limit. The NFIP stops at $250,000. If your home would cost more to rebuild, we'll be straight with you about the gap and what it means for your savings plan.

3. Contents, the coverage people skip

Building and contents are separate choices, and skipping contents to save money is a common regret. Watch the settlement basis: the NFIP pays contents at depreciated actual cash value, not replacement cost. After two feet of water in a house full of furniture and appliances, that difference adds up.

Renters and condo owners aren't exempt. A landlord's or association's flood policy covers the building, never your belongings. A contents-only flood policy exists for exactly this.

4. Your rate, your elevation and continuous coverage

FEMA prices each NFIP policy property by property, based on things like elevation, distance to flooding sources, foundation type and rebuild cost. An elevation certificate is optional, but on a raised home it can be worth a look.

Annual increases on an existing NFIP policy are capped, so a policy that's been in force for years may sit below today's full-risk price. That policy can often be assumed by a buyer at closing, so "can I take over the seller's flood policy?" is a smart question when you buy a home.

Zones, bayous and what the flood map doesn't tell you.

You've seen the maps and heard the letters. Here's what they mean for your address.

How the zones work

FEMA maps sort property into zones. High-risk zones are called Special Flood Hazard Areas, or SFHAs. If your home is in one and has a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require flood insurance. Lower-risk zones are optional, which isn't the same as safe.

Much of Terrebonne Parish is in FEMA high-risk flood zones, and a lot of Lafourche sits low too, from Raceland and Lockport down to Cut Off and Golden Meadow. Zones can change from one street to the next, so we look up the map for your specific address instead of guessing by town or subdivision.

The map is not the risk

The map that triggers the lender requirement and the water that actually reaches homes are two different things. In August 2016, days of heavy rain flooded Lafayette and much of Acadiana, including plenty of homes that weren't in a high-risk zone and had no flood policy.

Federal disaster assistance isn't a plan, either. It requires a disaster declaration, much of it comes as loans that must be repaid, and grants rarely cover real repair costs. It's worth getting a flood quote before deciding to skip it.

Map changes and the 30-day clock

Your NFIP price is set property by property. Zones still control the lender requirement, but they aren't the whole price. Flood maps also change, and a revision can move a property into a high-risk zone and trigger the lender requirement.

And because a new NFIP policy waits 30 days to take effect in most cases, the time to buy is before hurricane season, not the afternoon a named storm enters the Gulf.