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Coastal areas of West Columbia, Texas are flooding from torrential rains. Rivers overflow their banks and fill the basements of houses. And, someone who lives close to the areas like this faces real perils. Here is when flood insurance is coming up.

Flood insurance such as provided by the National Flood Insurance Program covers up to $250,000 of structural damage to a home – the cost can reach up to $700 a year. Private insurance services can run thousands of dollars a year more, with high deductibles.

While people are complaining about flood insurance costs, some have a more annoying problem. Even in a low-risk area, where the flood is not so common, insurers may require homeowners to buy a policy including more options, such as force-placed insurance, which is purchased by the mortgage holder and charged by the homeowner.

As expensive as the insurance is, challenging the insurance requirements takes a considerable investment in money and time. Homeowners can’t just take a photo of the Texas ground or the slope of their hill on a lake to show some record about their home location. They have to show proofs of their house not being located in the flood area.

With so many floods, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) changes zone maps which includes flooding. Often, it means that the zones are being enlarged into wider areas. Therefore, more homeowners pay fees to the National Flood Insurance Program and allow the company to collect more money to pay claims.

However, given their houses’ locations, some of those people shouldn’t have to pay. Yet they pay until someone tells them no to.

Indeed, if homeowners are located in a risk zone, they can take the data to a different insurer and pay lower prices. Also, if they were paying fees that they didn’t have to, and they are able to present proofs that they don’t need flood insurance at all, they have the right to cancel it.