NORWICH – According to a fact sheet provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, flooding is one of the most common natural hazards in the United States. Many people believe that their homeowner’s insurance will cover flooding, but as area residents are already discovering, it does not.

“It’s important for people who live in the flood plain to be aware. Flood insurance is there for their benefit,” said FEMA Public Information Officer Ken Higginbotham.

The National Flood Insurance Program is the only way to purchase flood insurance. The program is administered by FEMA, but the insurance can be purchased through independent agents, or directly through the NFIP.

According to FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Marianne C. Jackson, “Of the 13,000 people who have registered for assistance, only 11 percent said they had insurance to help cover the losses.” People cannot depend on disaster assistance alone to protect them in the event of flooding. Flood insurance can help when disaster assistance cannot. A community must be designated a disaster area before disaster assistance can be provided, and in more than 50 percent of flooding events, that declaration never comes. Claims can be made on the flood insurance policy whether a disaster area is declared or not.