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West Palm Beach urges residents to buy flood insurance as FEMA maps take effect
Summary
City of West Palm Beach staff encouraged homeowners and renters to get National Flood Insurance Program coverage, explained what flood insurance covers, noted a 30-day waiting period for claims, and pointed residents to city and federal resources after new FEMA maps became effective Dec. 20, 2024.
Staff from the City of West Palm Beach urged residents to buy flood insurance and check updated FEMA flood maps that became effective Dec. 20, 2024. Staff noted that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage and that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides specific coverage for flood-related rebuilding costs.
"Typically, most homeowner policies do not cover flood damage," Staff member, a City of West Palm Beach staff member, said. The staff member explained that flood insurance covers direct physical losses from flooding, including some sewer backups when the backup is a direct result of flooding, and that the NFIP offers building coverage and contents coverage, which renters can purchase separately.
The city provided practical steps for residents to assess their flood risk and prepare: call the city at (561) 805-6705 to learn which flood zone a building is in; use FEMA flood insurance rate maps; and consult the NFIP website, FloodSmart.gov, to compare policy options. The staff member also warned of a 30-day waiting period from the start of coverage to the first day a claim can be filed and advised residents to obtain insurance before hurricane season.
Staff recommended preparedness actions beyond insurance: keep storm drains, street gutters and inlets clear of debris; consider retrofitting measures such as flood walls, berms and flood panels; and check with the Development Services Department before altering, regrading, or bringing fill onto property. The city’s website, wpb.org, was cited as a source of flood-zone maps, brochures, hurricane planning materials and registration for email updates and emergency notifications.
The staff member emphasized that property owners required to buy flood insurance because of the new maps should obtain coverage as soon as possible and that anyone with an existing NFIP policy is urged to maintain it. No formal action or vote was taken; the remarks were presented as public information and guidance.
