The Costs of Flood Damage to Your Home in New Jersey
How much will flood damage to your home in New Jersey cost you? The numbers might alarm you, particularly if you don’t have adequate insurance coverage.
Whether or not you live in a floodplain, flooding happens… and an inch of water can cost you thousands of dollars in damages!
It’s also important to note that most flood insurance policies don’t include flood coverage, so you’ll need a separate policy to cover your belongings. If not, you’ll be paying a substantial amount out of pocket to replace damaged belongings.
In this article, we’ll highlight some key factors that will impact your flood damage costs, how you can prevent flood damage and how to find the right insurance coverage to protect your biggest assets.
Estimated Flood Damage Tables*
Average One-Story 2,500sqft Home With $50,000 In Possessions
| Interior Water Depth (Inches) | Cost to Home | Cost to Personal Property | Combined Loss Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | $23,645 | $3,172 | $26,817 |
| 3" | $24,370 | $4,917 | $29,287 |
| 5" | $31,370 | $13,914 | $45,284 |
| 7" | $37,691 | $17,700 | $55,391 |
| 9" | $38,553 | $23,547 | $62,100 |
| 12" | $39,845 | $32,317 | $72,162 |
| 24" | $44,325 | $43,001 | $87,326 |
| 36" | $47,905 | $46,633 | $94,538 |
| 48" | $53,355 | $50,000 | $103,355 |
Small One-Story 1,000sqft Home With $20,000 In Possessions
| Interior Water Depth (Inches) | Cost to Home | Cost to Personal Property | Combined Loss Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1" | $9,550 | $1,269 | $10,819 |
| 3" | $9,820 | $1,970 | $11,790 |
| 5" | $12,780 | $5,474 | $18,254 |
| 7" | $15,508 | $7,019 | $22,527 |
| 9" | $15,925 | $9,335 | $25,260 |
| 12" | $16,550 | $12,810 | $29,360 |
| 24" | $19,500 | $17,160 | $36,660 |
| 36" | $21,100 | $18,731 | $39,831 |
| 48" | $23,400 | $20,000 | $43,400 |
Large One-Story 5,000sqft Home With $100,000 In Possessions
Interior Water Depth (Inches) Cost to Home Cost to Personal Property Combined Loss Potential
1" $47,110 $6,344 $53,454
3" $48,620 $9,828 $58,448
5" $62,500 $27,996 $90,496
7" $74,662 $35,512 $110,174
9" $76,265 $47,247 $123,512
12" $78,670 $64,849 $143,519
24" $85,700 $86,075 $171,775
36" $92,580 $93,124 $185,704
48" $103,280 $100,000 $203,280
*Source: National Flood Services. Estimated based on national FEMA flood loss tables of cash value loss.
Basic Factors that Impact Costs
There are several factors that will impact the costs of flood damage. In this section, we’ll highlight them to make sure you are taking the threat of flooding seriously.
Size of Your Home
Flood damage costs will vary based on the size of your home. For example, a small home is considered one-story, and spreads across 1,000 sq ft, while a large home is multi-story and amasses 5,000 sq ft.
The larger the home and the greater the square footage, the more opportunity there is for flood damage. Costs can range anywhere from around $9,000 to upwards of $100,000 based on the size of your residence.
Value of Possessions
Are you a collector of fine art or sports memorabilia? If so, your personal possessions might have a high value, meaning you’re at a greater risk of expensive flood damage costs.
It’s important to have the value of your personal possessions assessed, that way if an event such as a flood occurs, you’ll know what to expect in out of pocket or insurance coverage costs.
We also recommend taking pictures or videos and documenting all items and saving backups to the cloud so you have additional evidence of what you own.
Interior Water Depth
The first component to assess when looking into flood damage costs is the interior water depth, or how deep the water accumulation is, which should be measured in inches.
The deeper, or higher the water, the greater the flood damage costs will be. Water damage can occur at as little as one inch of water depth, all the way up to 50 inches or more.
Flood Costs
The two main flood damage expenses you’ll encounter are the costs of repairing your home itself and the costs for replacing personal items within.
Costs to Home
The primary expense you’ll encounter is the costs to your home. This can include ceiling, floor, wall and roof repairs, along with broken built-in fixtures, burst pipes and leaky plumbing that may have caused the flood in the first place.
Depending on the severity, you’ll also need to pay for water and debris removal, ventilation and decontamination to prevent mold and mildew. One of the most expensive home damages can be basement repairs, as they are tougher to get down to and impact the foundation of your home.
Costs to Personal Property
The next largest flood damage expense relates to your personal property and possessions. Personal property includes, but is not limited to, laundry machines and dryers, portable AC units, ovens, and microwaves, curtains, rugs.
Also included are any personal belongings such as clothes, furniture, electronics, and collectibles, which might be subject to certain limits.
Additional Factors
Other factors that will impact the costs of flood damage to your home in NJ include:
- Where you are located (Your city/state and whether you are in a floodplain)
- Cost of labor and materials
- Type of water damage (Whether it is clean, grey or black)
- Cause of water damage (natural disaster or system failure)
- The type of insurance coverage you have
Prevention Tips
While some floods from natural disasters or faulty equipment in your home can’t always be prevented, there are several measures you can take to minimize risk.
They include:
- Keep your basement dry
- Clean your gutters
- Slope the landscape
- Get your plumbing and roof inspected
- Install a sump pump
- Look for water stains and mold growth
- Store valuable items above ground
- Direct downspouts away from your home
- Know how to shut off electricity, gas and water
- Get flood insurance
Coverage Options
If you’re a homeowner, you’re required to already have homeowner’s insurance coverage. But will that cover flood damages?
The answer is simply, “No”.
Regardless of the water source (a hurricane, a burst pipe, a lake overflow, etc.), your homeowner’s insurance will not cover any flood damage, so you’ll need a separate policy.
As mentioned above, there can be flood damage to your home and its contents, each of which can be covered under separate insurance policies.
It’s important to note that there are several exceptions to flood coverage. If there is damage from mold and mildew that you as the owner could have been prevented, you won’t be covered.
Valuable papers and the currency lost in the home will also not be covered, along with property outside of your home such as pools and fences.
Lastly, there is often a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase for your policy to take place. So if you know a big storm is coming over the next few days, it might be too late to get flood coverage. There are a number of exceptions to this rule, so it’s important to discuss your options with your insurance agent.
If you’re looking for coverage for flood damage to your home in New Jersey, you’ve come to the right place. Speak with an agent at Central Jersey Insurance Associates to find the right coverage to protect your home and assets.
