WASHINGTON -- More than $1.2 billion has gone to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders to help their Hurricane Ian recovery, with over 46,000 policyholders having filed claims following the storm’s landfall.
More than $237 million of those dollars were in the form of advance payments, where policyholders could receive up to $20,000 after filing a claim. Over 10,000 policyholders received advance payments as they worked their claims.
FEMA now estimates Hurricane Ian could potentially result in NFIP claims losses between $3.7-$5.2 billion. The losses include flood insurance claims received from five states, with the majority of claims coming from Florida.
“Since Hurricane Ian made landfall, FEMA and the entire federal family have provided billions of dollars in support to help Florida recover and affected residents jumpstart their recovery,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “The $1.2 billion paid to NFIP policyholders represents our continued commitment to this critical mission and underscores the importance of purchasing flood insurance. That’s why we continue to encourage Floridians who may have let their flood insurance coverage lapse to take advantage of our extended grace period and renew their coverage today by contacting their insurance company or agent.”
The NFIP announced in October that it extended the grace period to renew one’s policy from 30 days to 90 days for certain Florida policyholders in counties where Individual Assistance has been authorized.
The 90-day extension means once the policy is renewed, if the policyholder suffered flood damage from Hurricane Ian or another flood, they may file a claim. As of this release, the grace period applies to NFIP flood insurance policies with expiration dates between Sept. 13, 2022, and Oct. 23, 2022.
This means for policyholders whose renewal date was Oct. 23, 2022, the policy may be renewed on or before Jan. 20, 2023.
Over 8,000 NFIP policyholders in Florida may still be able to renew their policy due to the grace period extension.
To maximize awareness of the grace period extension, FEMA has taken the extraordinary step of going door-to-door to notify policyholders of this opportunity, while flood insurance companies and insurance agents have also been instructed to contact their clients.
There are 26 Florida counties designated for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program where policyholders can take advantage of the grace period. FEMA encourages all affected policyholders residing in these counties to support their recovery by renewing their expired flood insurance policies today.
Contact Your Insurance Agent or Company to Renew an Expired Policy
Policyholders who wish to take advantage of the grace period for Hurricane Ian should contact their agent or insurance company today. Policyholders who do not have their insurance agent or company’s contact information should call 877-336-2627 for assistance.
To learn more about how to file a flood insurance claim visit floodsmart.gov.