Only 4% of American homeowners have flood insurance, but 99% of counties flooded in the last 30 years. Now there's a new way to get FEMA protection

In 2025, deadly floods swept across the United States at what the Insurance Information Institute described as an “unprecedented pace,” with communities from Central Texas to California, North Carolina, and New York City experiencing widespread devastation. In some of the hardest-hit communities, fewer than 1% of households carried flood insurance, leaving families reliant on federal disaster assistance or personal savings to rebuild.

“There’s this misapprehension that if I’m not in a flood zone, then I shouldn’t have to get flood insurance,” Anderson Baker, a retired insurance executive in Louisiana, told NPR. “But everybody’s in a flood zone. People at the top of a mountain are in a flood zone. They’re just in a good flood zone.”

A 2023 survey by Munich Re and the Insurance Information Institute found that 64% of homeowners believed their homes were not at risk of flooding.

How to protect yourself from rising flood risks

The Bashaws’ experience raises an urgent question for homeowners everywhere: How do you know whether you need flood insurance, and how do you get it if you do?

Here is how to assess your risk and make smarter coverage decisions.

• Start by knowing your flood risk. FEMA’s flood risk map tool at floodsmart.gov lets you enter your zip code and see your property’s assessed flood risk. Even if you don’t live near a river or coastline, you may be more exposed than you think.
• If flood insurance is required, get it — and keep it. Some mortgage lenders require borrowers in high-risk areas to carry flood insurance. But experts caution against dropping that coverage once the mortgage is paid off. Your risk doesn’t disappear when your loan does, and older homeowners, often with fixed incomes, are usually less able to absorb losses without coverage.
• Understand your options. NFIP is open to homeowners, renters, and businesses in approximately 22,600 participating communities. But the private market is growing, and getting quotes from both federal and private insurers can help you find the best rate.
• Budget for flood insurance as part of your housing costs. Brian O’Connell, an analyst at insuranceQuotes, estimates flood insurance is likely to run between 30% and 75% of what someone already pays for homeowners’ insurance. That’s a meaningful added cost, but so is losing your home. Budgeting for coverage as part of your housing costs can help ensure you can maintain coverage in the long-term.

If you’re uninsured and flooding affects your area, you still have options. FEMA disaster relief may offer some coverage, but only if it’s declared a national disaster. Community fundraising, like the Bashaws GoFundMe, which has raised nearly $100,000, may provide meaningful help — but it’s not a sure thing.