Janie Richardson said she's lucky.
“It looked like a river. You can wade through on a boat,” she remembered.
A freak rainstorm flooded her block on NW 1st Street in Boynton Beach in January 2014.
“Water was like waves hitting their doors,” Richardson said. “All their floors were about a couple of inches deep in water.”
Water filled her neighbors' homes; even though it's a low to moderate risk flood zone.
Some of those neighbors didn't have flood insurance and were forced to pay for repairs themselves.
Richardson’s home wasn’t damaged. But she said that threat is part of the reason why she now has an insurance policy for her home.
Lee Wiglesworth recommends having flood insurance. He’s an agent at Wiglesworth-Rindom Insurance.
He said most homeowners and hurricane insurance policies don't cover flooding. And you can't add it right before a storm hits.
“There is a standard 30-day waiting period,” Wiglesworth explained.
He said flood insurance is a good idea, even if you don't live in an area that's prone to flooding.
You can expect to pay about $450 a year if you live in a low or moderate risk area.
“Tropical Storm Colin is so early in the season it's kind of a reminder for people to look, call their agent, ask if you have flood insurance, because this is the type of thing we'll need come August, September, the heart of hurricane season,” he said.
Each storm reminds Richardson it's best to plan ahead.
“We’ve had about ten good years or so of nothing traumatic happening, but it's bound to happen,” she pointed out.
