Flooding continues across the midwest

@SoDakCampaigns

Just caught this picture of my cousin’s house down in Lehigh, Iowa:

That’s just nuts. Although, it’s not their first rodeo with this stuff, as they’ve done a lot to largely “flood-proof” their home, which includes actually letting it fill the basement to a point. As she relates the family has to “let it fill so far or the water pressure would blow out the walls.”

Please keep everyone in your thoughts as they do battle with mother nature.

Most of my day job (in insurance claims) is out-of-state, so I’m not dealing with much of it. A couple of tips I would offer for affected home & business owners as found on the NFIP – National Flood Insurance Program website provide some good information about flood insurance:

What does my flood insurance policy cover?

Purchasing flood insurance will help protect the things you value. The NFIP offers two types of coverage – building coverage and contents coverage – to protect your home and belongings. Here are examples of what’s covered with NFIP flood insurance:

Building Coverage Covers:

  • Electrical and plumbing systems
  • Furnaces and water heaters
  • Refrigerators, cooking stoves, and built-in appliances like dishwashers
  • Permanently installed carpeting
  • Permanently installed cabinets, paneling, and bookcases
  • Window blinds
  • Foundation walls, anchorage systems, and staircases.
  • Detached garages
  • Fuel tanks, well water tanks and pumps, and solar energy equipment

Contents Coverage Covers:

  • Personal belongings such as clothing, furniture, and electronic equipment
  • Curtains
  • Washer and dryer
  • Portable and window air conditioners
  • Microwave oven
  • Carpets not included in building coverage (e.g., carpet installed over wood floors)
  • Valuable items such as original artwork and furs (up to $2,500)

Items not covered by building or contents coverage:

    • Temporary housing and additional living expenses incurred while the building is being repaired or is unable to be occupied
    • Property outside of an insured building. For example, landscaping, wells, septic systems, decks and patios, fences, seawalls, hot tubs, and swimming pools
    • Financial losses caused by business interruption
    • Currency, precious metals, stock certificates and other valuable papers
    • Cars and most self-propelled vehicles, including their parts
    • Personal property kept in basements

You can read up on it more here.

Even if you don’t have flood coverage – take pictures and document losses. Why? Because FEMA may offer disaster aid programs after the fact, and they would require documentation of losses. Often (at least for businesses) they will require a letter from your insurer denying the claim, and showing there is no insurance coverage available for the loss.

15 thoughts on “Flooding continues across the midwest”

  1. Roll call!

    Iowa National Guard…..check

    Minnesota National Guard……check

    South Dakota National Guard….

    South Dakota National Guard….

    ….crickets

    Sorry citizens, they are busy standing around at the southern border for a publicity stunt to promote your governors political aspirations. Grab those bootstraps, folks, and start tugging. Noem will be by soon to toss some paper towels.

      1. Rock Valley Iowa was built in a flood plain, their Natl Guard still showed up. Don’t make excuses for Noems lack of leadership or empathy.

      2. I bet if dakota dunes is going to flood, they would be there. Funny how that works.

        1. Was this the same levee plan they used back in 2014? Sometimes you have to be paying attention.

          1. Not sure. Did they redirect water on the interstate and flood mccook lake residents who are not in a floodplain in 2014? Mccook lake residents dont exist in a floodplain but they were destroyed.

            1. “North Sioux City has had a flood mitigation plan in place for decades, which includes building a temporary levee across Interstate 29 at Exit 4, less than 1,000 feet east of some of the 230 homes that line McCook Lake.”

              A lot of people need to have better situational awareness. Just because an area is developed does not mean it removes the inherit risk.

  2. It does seem the Governor and her staff were caught flat footed by the extent and severity of the flooding.

    1. She had her glam team with her to make sure she looked good before jetting off to the presidential debate. Flooding? A minor inconvenience in her schedule but you can be sure that if she needs the video footage for a future political or grifting opportunity South Dakotans will be her props again with an addition of revisionist history and editing.

    1. all you’re going to find out is that never-trump means never-trump. tonight doesn’t change any of that.

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