MAHONING VALLEY Experts say residents need flood insurance

Fewer than 200 households in Mahoning and Columbiana counties have flood insurance.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- As Mahoning Valley residents whose houses received thousands of dollars in damage because of heavy downpours learned the hard way, homeowners insurance policies typically don't cover flood damage.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say the small number of people with flood insurance in Mahoning and Columbiana counties, both declared federal disaster areas last month, is startling.
Only 115 households in Mahoning and 70 in Columbiana have flood insurance, said Jack Brandais, a FEMA spokesman. Most of those people had to buy flood insurance as part of their mortgage loans because they live in high flood areas, he said.
Importance of insurance
Brandais and Dale Lowe, a FEMA mitigation specialist, spoke Wednesday to The Vindicator to get the message out that people should buy flood insurance, which in most cases, can be bought through the agency that provides your homeowners insurance. Local insurance agents write flood insurance policies, but payment to those with flood-damage claims comes from FEMA's National Insurance Flood Program, Lowe said.
For someone who owns a house worth $100,000, flood insurance costs about $400 to $500 annually, Lowe said.
A homeowner can buy flood insurance with recovery costs for homes up to $250,000 and an additional $100,000 for its contents, Lowe said. It is the only type of disaster insurance backed by the federal government, he said.
"Compare that with $300 a month to have a $50,000 disaster loan [through FEMA] for 20 years," Lowe said. "Flooding is the largest natural threat to the state of Ohio. It's a recurring problem."
Grants
Some people are under another misconception: that FEMA will give out money to people whose homes are damaged by flooding.
There are grants available for housing assistance, such as temporary rentals or hotel bills, and to replace some damaged items, Brandais said.
For example, Mahoning County residents received about $1.85 million in housing assistance, and Columbiana residents received $249,249. About $11.6 million went to the 23 counties in Ohio that received the federal disaster area designation, Brandais said.
Mahoning home and business owners with flood damage received about $2.4 million in loans with interest rates of about 2 percent to 3 percent.
"Another advantage of having flood insurance is it covers you whether your county is declared a federal disaster or not," Lowe said. "It may not cover all of your losses, but it will certainly provide substantial compensation."
Those who had damage caused by the May rain have until Aug. 2 to apply for assistance. To do so, people should call FEMA at (800) 621-3362.
As of Wednesday, 2,125 Mahoning County residents registered by telephone to receive assistance from the federal agency, Brandais said. In Ohio, that number is 33,418, he said.
This past May was the second-wettest May in recorded Mahoning Valley history. During the month, 7.03 inches of rain fell.
Those wanting to buy flood insurance should do it as soon as possible, Brandais said, because you must wait 30 days before it takes effect.
"The time to call isn't when you see Noah's Ark floating by," he said.
skolnick@vindy.com