As residents in the Milwauki area evaluate the scope of damage from the Flood of the weekend, only 1186 households have federal flood insurance policies.
As emergency crews continue to respond to hundreds of calls, it is still unclear what the financial damage fee will be for this event for 1000 years of flood. But Sarah Smith, director of public issues for Wisconsin’s office of the Insurance Commissioner, said even 1 inch of water could cause up to $ 25,000 in damage.
Over the next 30 years, Wisconsin households in low-to-mode areas will experience five times more floods than fire-related events, Smith said, but the state has one of the lowest floods for flood insurance per capita in the country.
As of July 31, the State Service of the Insurance Commissioner reported 10 541 federal flood insurance policies in over 2.7 million Wisconsin households. The state did not provide data on how many households use private insurance, but stated that the bigger part of the residents with flood insurance uses federals.
This is a problem given that Wisconsin’s construction norts do not include any types of flooded regulations that would provide for how to build a building or where not to be built on the basis of floodplains, said Sarah Rafiko, the State Coordinator of the Flood Program.
People sometimes mistaken that they cannot receive flood insurance because they do not live in a flood area or because they hire their home or apartment.
“It is available to anyone, whether it is in the bipt or not,” Rafiko said. “And that can make a really big difference.”
What is flood insurance?
Flood insurance covers the financial losses of structures and belongings directly caused by floods.
Consumers have two main options for flood insurance – the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or private insurance.
NFIP is managed by FEMA and founded tariffs for where a property on the flood card is located.
Housing owners can use an online NFIP tool to look for their postal code and understand the risk of their area. Smith noted that FEMA cards and risk models are derived from historical flood data, not future forecasts that would include the impact of climate change.
Housing owners with a Federal mortgage mortgage are required by their lender to have flood insurance if they are located in a high -risk area.
Private insurance generates premiums based on the unique risk of flooding of the property, not the regulations of the area.
Barbara Lewandouca, seen on the door reflection, looks at the flood line from the outside of her home in Milwaukee in the afternoon on August 11, 2025.
Why is a flood insurance a separate price from housing owners?
Flood events are too uniquely catastrophic to be included in most housing insurance plans.
It was only when the Congress established NFIP in 1968 to monitor flood management rules became flood insurance.
The communities they chose to receive federal insurance had to adopt minimum flood management standards.
More: Do home and rent insurance cover flood damage? What do I know after floods in Milwaukee
Can I receive flood insurance if he hires?
Just like the insurance of housing owners does not cover the floods, nor the bigger part of tenants insurance.
Even if the landlord has flood insurance for the building, their insurance will not cover the belonging of a tenant. Through NFIP, tenants can only buy for flood insurance plans that cover up to $ 100,000 items.
How much does flood insurance cost?
It depends where you are and whether you have selected NFIP or private insurance.
Usually the price of NFIP ranges from $ 600 to $ 1,200 a year.
However, if you live in a floodplain, it can be in the range of $ 4,000 a year.
If you choose private insurance, it also varies depending on the private valuation made on your property.
Unlike NFIP, private companies can choose to miss one of their plan for some reason, and they can also refuse to take residents if they live in a floodplain, Rafaya said.
Residents who do not know whether to go on the NFIP or private route can contact local Wisconsin insurance agents. Most sell both types of insurance and can cite both, Rafaica said.
Otherwise, homeowners and tenants may receive an offer directly from Floodsmart.gov to find out what their flood insurance capabilities are.
What usually covers?
According to the NFIP, the maximum coverage of the building is $ 250,000 and the maximum affiliation coverage is $ 100,000, Rafaya said.
These residents also receive $ 30,000 coverage for conformity, which allows residents to recover in ways that meet floods.
Much of private insurance, said Rafaika that it could provide costs to replace. This will be more useful for people who own properties worth significantly more than the maximum limitation of the $ 250,000 building provided by NFIP.
Why will Wisconsin residents need flood insurance?
There is a saying among those who work in natural resources: “Wherever it rains, it can be flooded.”
This is part of the reason for Rafaya to emphasize the importance of investing in flood insurance. Rafajka recommends enrolling for a walk from your apartment or home as a video evidence of your belongings. Visual images like this will be useful to you later – to which Rafaica, who lives in a floodplain, can testify.
It is a saying that it is tracking Smith of the public insurance commissioner service, which said 40% of all Wisconsin flood claims occurred in low to moderate risk areas.
Flood insurance has a standard 30-day waiting period, Smith said, an important consideration for housing and tenants to think before the flood season, which begins in the months of March and April in Wisconsin.
The Insurance Commissioner Service has more information on flood insurance on the web site of oci.wi.gov and in a sheet of frequently asked questions.
Natalie Aylebert covers mental health problems for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It welcomes advice and reviews of history. You can contact her at neilbert@gannett.com or see her profile X (Twitter) of @natalie_eilbertS
This article originally appeared at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Flood insurance rarely in Wisconsin. What can I know about how it works.