| Solomon Ortiz, Jr.

Do you need flood insurance?

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, one of the lessons we in Corpus Christi must learn is the difference between windstorm insurance and flood insurance. Most property owners in Corpus Christi have windstorm insurance, which protects you against damage to your property that is caused by the wind. For example, if the wind knocks a tree onto your roof, windstorm insurance will pay for the damages. But what if your house is flooded by the storm surge from a major hurricane? Does windstorm insurance cover that type of damage?

No, it doesn't.

If your property could be affected by the storm surge from a hurricane, you should purchase flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. Only flood insurance will pay for the damage caused by a storm surge. Below is a map from the National Weather Service showing which parts of Corpus Christi are vulnerable to a storm surge. As you can see, if a Category 5 hurricane made a direct hit on Corpus Christi, almost half the city would be flooded. To see storm surge maps for the entire Coastal Bend, go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/tropics/2008Guide/surge.php

Only about 20 percent of property owners in Galveston had flood insurance, so many of them are in for a long fight with their windstorm insurer over what damage was caused by the wind and what damage was caused by the storm surge - insurance companies will look at each property on a case by case basis to determine what they are responsible for. Many property owners in Mississippi and Louisiana who were affected by Hurricane Katrina are still fighting their insurance companies over this very issue. Please look at the map below, find where your property is located and see if you should purchase flood insurance. Flood insurance is much less expensive than windstorm insurance and, when combined with a windstorm insurance policy, gives your property complete coverage against hurricane damage. If you determine that you need flood insurance, contact your insurance agent.

This legislative session, there is no single issue more important to the people of Corpus Christi than the availability and affordability of windstorm insurance. I am working with Speaker Pro Tempore Craig Eiland, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA), and the Texas Department of Insurance on reforms designed to strengthen TWIA and attract the private insurance companies back to the coast. But please remember that windstorm insurance is only part of the picture. If your home or business is in a flood zone, ask your insurance agent about flood insurance.

Yours for a better Texas,
Solomon Ortiz, Jr.