Indeed, 2001 was a terrible year for the United States with regards to flooding. We watched as the Mississippi and Missouri River both breached levees in many states. We also noted the incredible snow pack in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and California and the runoff in June of 2001 was significant, causing all sorts of flooding, and some rather serious incidents as you already know. Of course, the time to buy flood insurance is before the flood.
What was that famous line in the movie; "when did Noah build the ark, before the flood remember?" Yes, I love that quote, and I use it quite often, and yet buying flood insurance is quite expensive, especially if you live in a flood zone, and then there is the 50 year flood, or the hundred year flood, those are flooding events which are way beyond the normal cycles of droughts and rainy seasons, and when they come there can be devastation, loss of life, and massive property damage.
Now then, when it comes to flooding not all flood insurance policies are the same. If you buy hurricane insurance, it may cover the tidal surge, but maybe not the massive rain which the hurricane brings along with it, which flood out your property later. After all that massive amount of rain may occur far upriver, and after the storm is gone then that water comes down, maybe even after a couple of more storms later in the season. You see the problem?
Now then, if you will recall The Army Corps of Engineers had no choice as the Mississippi levees were in danger and that peak of the flood would have flooded massive parts of New Orleans, and Baton Rouge Louisiana, where millions of people live. Therefore they opened the dams along the Mississippi and allowed the water to flood into a 3000 square mile area. Unfortunately, there were small towns and cities in its path, and they were purposely flooded to save the larger area. Yes, those are hard choices to make, nevertheless the people were mandatorily evacuated, and a deluge of water was released.
Okay so, you may not realize this but even if you had flood insurance in those areas the flood insurance company would not pay on the policy because the government purposely flooded the area therefore you'd be directed to contact the government to get paid for your damages, after all it was their fault, and their decision to flood out your home and town. Most people don't realize this, and yet it's hard to say if the government will even pay, we shall see. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,333 articles by May 26, 2011 is difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off..
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