If you ever have viewed your neighborhood from a satellite image, you will be surprised by what you are seeing. The layout might be different than you have expected, and knowing the curving streets and areas of wilderness will be beneficial in many ways. It is smart to evaluate the risks your home or neighborhood may face, and what to do in order to protect yourself and your family.

Be Sure to Check the FEMA Flood Map

FEMA stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has tools that make it easy to see if you are living in a flood zone. This map can show information like floodways, potential flood zones, and your home’s risk level. Along with those features, this map offers topographical and infrastructural information about leeches, coastal barriers, and a base flood line.

Understanding flood zones

Specific flood zones are labeled alphabetically, from Zone A, Zone B, etc. These labels are given to help determine flood risk and set flood insurance rates and terms for housing. Here is a quick rundown of what the most common flood zones mean for you and your house.

1. Zone A: This is the most common flood zone, and if you live here it means you’re in a special flood hazard area that’s not coastal. The type of Zone A that applies to your home will impact your flood insurance premium.
2. Zone B: Homes in Zone B face a moderate flood hazard risk.
3. Zone C: Homes in Zone C face a minimal flood hazard risk.
4. Zone D: This zone indicates a possible risk of flooding, but the hazard level is undetermined.
5. Zone V: This is a special flood hazard area with a high risk for floods in coastal areas.
6. Zone X: On newer flood insurance rate maps, Zones B and C are identified as Zone X.

Keep Track of Any Changes

With construction changing, topography, floodplains, and flood zone designs will change over time. If you haven’t recently checked, it would be in your best interest to do some more research. These zones usually change every five years or so, and keeping an eye on these newly updated zones will help you to be better prepared.

Look Into Flood Insurance

After looking into your town and seeing that you do in fact live in a flood zone, it will be in your best interest to get flood insurance. While floods are much more common than house fires, most homeowners don’t invest in this type of insurance. You can get this type of insurance through private carriers, or through government-sponsored agencies.

This type of insurance costs around $200 to $800 a year, but by looking at your options, costs could be decreased. Doing research can lower your costs and also give you the most up to date and accurate information on this type of insurance.

Think About Installing Flood Sensors

A flood sensor is a huge way to prevent your home from flooding because these devices notify households of water leaks. These sensors can detect leaks from water heaters, washing machines, and weather-related leaks. These sensors can be integrated into your home security systems and will prove to be very beneficial in an emergency.