The Kestner Team

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Tennesseans know all too well about the nation's No. 1 natural disaster: flooding. A FEMA flood insurance specialist told a group of about 35 real estate agents in Franklin, Tenn., on Thursday that now is a good time for property owners to protect themselves from the cost of flood damages by purchasing flood insurance.

More than 25 percent of all flood insurance claims are from moderate-to-low-risk flood zones. Anyone living in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can purchase flood insurance regardless where their property is located within the community.

"There is a misconception that you can only buy flood insurance if you live in a special flood hazard area as identified on a community's adopted flood map," said FEMA's Federal Coordinating Officer Gracia Szczech. "But if your community participates in the program, you can buy flood insurance no matter where your property is."

Many agents said knowing about the NFIP is vital to the industry's credibility from this point forward.

"We're going to be challenged by and faced with these issues for years to come so that we can protect both our buyers and sellers," said Dianne Christian, a Realtor and broker with Keller Williams.

FEMA is meeting with real estate and insurance agents throughout the state to answer questions and help minimize the impact of future events.

FEMA specialists are also meeting with officials of communities throughout Tennessee to educate jurisdictions about the program and encourage non-participating communities to join.

To learn how your property is zoned, visit www.FloodSmart.gov. For more information on NFIP, call 888-379-9531, visit www.FloodSmart.gov, or call your local insurance agent.

On July 2, President Obama signed a bill reauthorizing the NFIP until Sept. 30, 2010. Policies purchased now will be effective 30 days after the premium is paid and will remain in effect for one year.

Follow the recovery in Tennessee online at www.twitter.com/tema, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/TNDisasterInfo, www.youtube.com/fema and www.flickr.com/photos/t_e_m_a.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA and TEMA do not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Monday, 12-Jul-2010 08:39:01