FEMA Announces NFIP Flood Insurance Can Be Bought Online: Owners, Renters and Businesses in About 22,700 Participating Communities Can Use FloodSmart.gov
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that policies under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can be obtained online. Residents can get a flood insurance quote for their property through FEMA's FloodSmart.gov website and, through the program's Direct to Customer (D2C) platform, connect with carriers to purchase the quoted policy.
Congress created the NFIP in 1968. The program today provides flood insurance to nearly 5 million policyholders in about 22,700 participating communities across the country. Policies are administered by FEMA and are sold and serviced by a network of more than 48 insurance companies and the NFIP Direct. Policies can cover a building, its contents, or both. Participating communities adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinances in exchange for federal flood insurance being made available to their residents.
Within participating communities, property owners, renters and businesses can all buy NFIP policies, whether or not a property sits in a high-risk flood zone. FEMA notes that standard homeowners insurance generally does not cover flood damage, and that an NFIP policy pays claims without requiring a presidential disaster declaration. Coverage limits are up to $250,000 for a residential building and $100,000 for its contents, and up to $500,000 each for a commercial building and its contents. According to FEMA, about 40 percent of NFIP claims come from outside high-risk areas, and 99 percent of U.S. counties have experienced a flood event.
"I encourage Americans to visit Floodsmart.gov to get a flood insurance quote," said Cameron Hamilton, Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator, in announcing the online channel. "It's quick and easy and takes just a few minutes. Insured survivors recover faster." Elizabeth Asche, the senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, said less than 4 percent of U.S. households have flood insurance, and that the D2C platform gives customers direct access to a property's flood risk and the ability to purchase a flood policy from just about anywhere, as FEMA works to make flood insurance more accessible and narrow the insurance gap.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 2025年5月，联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）审查委员会在华盛顿艾森豪威尔行政办公大楼举行首次会议。照片：国土安全部，公共领域，经维基共享资源／The FEMA Review Council holds its initial meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., in May 2025. Photo: Department of Homeland Security, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
