Lewis County urges residents to shore up flood insurance during federal shutdown

Jacob Moore, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.The Chronicle

Oct. 27—Lewis County is warning residents to verify their flood insurance policies as heavy rains batter Western Washington and flooding season gets underway.

According to a news release from Lewis County, the National Flood Insurance program (NFIP) has lapsed as of Sept. 30 due to the federal government shutdown that began the following day, Oct. 1.

Because of the lapsed program, homeowners and renters with NIFP policies will not be able to expand their policy or even renew their current policies as is, and those without coverage and seeking to take out a new policy will be unable to do so.

Lewis County residents who own or rent a home in a Special Flood Hazard Area with a federally-backed mortgage are required to carry flood insurance.

However, new homeowners or renters are currently unable to do so due to the federal shutdown. As a result, Lewis County urges local residents to contact their insurance carriers to verify their current policies.

The county urges speed in doing so, warning that flood policies must be in place 30 days before a flood in order for coverage to be valid.

"Although the federal government backs the NFIP policies, private home insurance companies generally handle the servicing," the news release from Lewis County stated. "And time may be of the essence, as flood insurance policies must be in place and current at least 30 days prior to a flood event."

NFIP is a subsidized flood insurance program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that provides flood protection to homeowners in areas where private flood insurance is either unavailable or financially unsustainable because of the risk factors.

The county welcomes residents with questions or concerns to contact the county's building official and floodplain manager Doyle Sanford. He can be contacted by phone at 360-740-2696 or by email at [email protected].

More information about flooding in Lewis County and how to determine if your residence falls in one of FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Areas is available at https://flood.lewiscountywa.gov/before/our-flood-hazard/.