Public safety officials in the Tri-Counties are urging residents to prepare for potential El Niño impacts. That includes insurance.
"We are getting inquiries," confirmed longtime Ventura insurance agent Irene Henry.
She added that people often assume that they're covered.
"People don't necessarily read their contracts. They are long, and they need to be so people can be well informed," said Henry. "The exclusions are generally spelled out in bold print. Earthquakes aren't covered, and floods are not covered."
The State Insurance Commissioner's Office is also making that recommendation.
Most policies don’t include home or business flooding, which could occur during a strong El Niño event.
"A standard homeowners insurance policy generally does not include flood damage," said Karen Collins with the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
"If you are a homeowner, or even a renter, or business owner, you want to talk to your insurance professional about separate coverage for flood insurance. Your homeowner's policy by default typically does not include it."
She says there are different types of water damage that affect whether you have flood coverage.
"When it's a really bad rain storm with wind, and you might have roof tiles that are exposed where water comes in through the top of your home, or through windows, it's typically covered under your homeowners policy," said Collins. "But, when you think of bottom up, where there is flooding groundwater, a coastal surge, where rivers might overflow, or drainage backs up, those flood impacts are not covered."
With heavy surf conditions already occurring, and more expected, Collins talks about that kind of insurance coverage.
"For coastal flooding and sea level rise, and we've got some unique events coming, like Kelvin waves, that's going to require a flood insurance policy," said Collins.
Mudslides and debris flows are not covered by traditional coverage in most instances.
The one exception is the kind of case that happened in Montecito in 2017 and 2018, where the Thomas Fire directly led to the Montecito debris flow. A state law required insurance companies to make payouts because the debris flow was directly linked to the fire.
Insurance carriers offer flood insurance through FEMA, and some independent companies offer their own policies. If you live in a designated flood zone and have a mortgage, you must have insurance. But Henry said sometimes people who have paid off their homes drop the coverage because of the cost. Her bottom line is simple: Check your policy, read the fine print, and talk to your agent.
"Look it over, and decide if that (the special coverage) is something you want and/or need," said Henry.
"This is just a separate coverage entirely. You don't want to be caught unprepared financially, where you don't have resources to rebuild if you have flood damage," said Collins.
Industry experts say you should do your insurance homework sooner rather than later. Most FEMA flood insurance policies have a 30-day waiting period before they take effect.
