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Flood Risk Management

A Regional Retail Chain Saves 50% on Annual NFIP Costs

Our client, a national insurance agency, asked us to help them find a way to reduce the NFIP flood insurance premiums for one of their clients – a regional retail chain with five stores located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA: flood zones beginning with letter A or V). The NFIP flood insurance premiums totaled $39,475 for the 5 NFIP policies. The company has maintained NFIP flood insurance on these five stores for many years. However, as the NFIP rates were rapidly increasing year by year, the insured was looking for ways to reduce their flood insurance costs.

The Solution

Our industry-leading flood team quickly determined that there were more favorable rates available for these buildings. This enabled us to re-rate the flood policies using the lower cost rate structure available through the NFIP. As a result, our Premium Reduction Service reduced annual flood insurance premiums, delivered substantial future savings, and captured a large flood insurance refund.

The Results

Our Premium Reduction Service delivered following valuable benefits to the client:

  • Reduced annual NFIP flood premiums by almost $20,000;
  • Delivered 50% in annual savings;
  • Procured a $80,000 flood insurance refund for the last five years;

Click here to download this case study in .pdf.

Agency Flood Resources at Flood Risk Orlando – Business Insurance Masterclass

Agency Flood Resources was honored to present at the inaugural Business Insurance masterclass – Flood Risk Orlando. This one-day conference was held on March 23, 2017 in Orlando, FL and featured leading insights in flood risk and insurance from national experts and regional thought leaders.

The event brought together over 100 commercial insurance professionals to discuss the current conditions of flood insurance, and predict the future of the flood market. The attendees explored how brokers and agents can navigate the NFIP, private market options and risk management tools to improve their flood practices and better serve their clients.

Dan Freudenthal, President at Agency Flood Resources, shared his insights on the topic of “Overcoming client obstacles: Communicating risks, requirements and rates”. During the session, panelists discussed the factors that most complicate the communication of risk, and how they can be minimized. They also examined what changes will allow the private flood insurance market and the NFIP to operate to better protect insureds.

Mr. Freudenthal was presenting together with David Maurstad, Assistant Administrator Federal Insurance at FEMA and Del Schwalls, President at Schwalls Consulting. The session was moderated by Blake Lovvorn, Assistant Director, Risk Management at University of Central Florida.

As a nationally recognized expert and thought leader in the area of flood risk, Mr. Freudenthal has been an active speaker at risk management and commercial real estate conferences about the topics of flood risk, flood insurance, flood zone correction and elevation certificates, and has published numerous articles in commercial real estate, risk management and insurance industry publications.

Flood Zone X – Not as Safe as You Think

Communities depend on dams, levees and floodwalls to minimize the risk of flooding. Nationwide, the number of dams built for the purpose of flood control is as high as 16,179, along with approximately 22,000 levees and 15,000 floodwalls, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Inventory of Dams and National Levee Database.

Many of those dams, levees, and floodwalls are considered primary flood control structures and must abide by the modeling outlined in the flood control manuals during the rainy season. The modeling is designed to ensure that there’s ample space in the reservoirs to capture heavy river flows and mountain runoff, and to prevent catastrophic flooding downstream. However, many dams, levees, and floodwalls have not been properly maintained and/or follow flood control manuals that have not been updated for decades, and use outdated climatological data and runoff projections. Additionally, limited funding for maintenance and upgrades compounds the risk. For example, only 7.5% of the levees that have been inspected were rated as “acceptable”.

You might ask why is this relevant to me? The answer is because most areas protected by dams, levees and floodwalls are shown as X zones on FEMA flood maps. This means that the owners of most homes and buildings protected by dams, levees, and floodwalls do not maintain flood insurance and may not even be aware that their home or building is protected dam, levee or floodwall. Since so many dams, levees and floodwalls have not been properly maintained, or may be following outdated flood control manuals, you most likely have clients with substantial uninsured flood risk.

Last year was the first year that more than two inland flood events caused losses exceeding $1 billion each. Hurricane Matthew in October and Louisiana flooding in August topped $10 billion each, Houston flooding in April caused losses estimated at $2.7 billion, Sabine River Basin flood in East Texas and Louisiana in March were $1.3 billion, and West Virginia flash and riverine flooding in June topped $1 billion. Interestingly, most of these flood events occurred in X zones.

What’s interesting about Louisiana flash flood in August is that the storm causing the flooding was not even a tropical depression, but the lowest level a tropical system there can be. Yet, more than 10 rivers had reached record levels. It is estimated that nearly one-third of all homes (approximately 15,000 structures) in Ascension Parish were flooded after a levee along the Amite River was overtopped. With an estimated 146,000 structures damaged in the flooding, it was characterized as the worst US natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Last year, the average annual precipitation in the 48 contiguous states was almost two inches higher than the long-term average. We believe that the recent trend of greater precipitation and a higher number of catastrophic flood events in X zones will continue in the future.

If you are thinking that this is a recipe for disaster, you are correct. We encourage you to be proactive and take steps to identify those homes and buildings owned by your clients that are at much higher flood risk than the FEMA’s flood map portrays. Do not wait for a catastrophic event to impact your clients and your agency. Contact us today to learn how we can help you identify those homes and buildings that may be at a higher risk than you or your insured think. We will provide the information you need to implement a targeted flood insurance sales campaign to the right clients.

Into the Peak of the Hurricane Season

Although the Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1st, the hurricane activity peaks from mid-August through mid-October – a period commonly referred to as a “season within the season”, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Weather experts view this time of the year as the most active and dangerous time for tropical cyclone activity, accounting for 78 percent of the tropical storm days, 87 percent of the category 1 and 2 hurricane days, and 96 percent of the major (category 3, 4 and 5) hurricane days.

Just two weeks ago a slow-moving area of low pressure and near-record amounts of atmospheric moisture led to extreme rainfall and historic flooding in southeast Louisiana.

Last night, Tropical Depression Nine, the area previously called Invest 99L, developed just south of Florida and moves near the Florida Keys, western Cuba and southern Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. While it currently remains poorly organized, meteorologists predict that the system could become a tropical storm as it turns northward then northeastward over the Gulf of Mexico this week, and could cause heavy rain and localized flash flooding.

Despite the level of weather activity as we move into the peak of the hurricane season, we encourage you to stay alert and make all necessary preparations in an attempt to minimize the impact of possible flooding on your business:
• Monitor your surroundings and NOAA weather alerts;
• Review your disaster response and recovery plan with your staff and/or family members;
• Ensure that important document files are backed up away from your property so they aren’t lost if electronics and paper files are destroyed by water;
• Take all necessary steps to prevent the release of dangerous chemicals that may be stored on the property;
• Contact your property insurance agent.

It only takes one storm to make it a bad year for your business. Our flood team has substantial expertise assessing, insuring, and mitigating flood risk. Contact us to learn how we may be able to improve how you insure your client’s flood risk.

Flood Warning: Major Flash Flooding Hits Houston Region with More Rain to Come

As a slow-moving low pressure system is pushing from the Rockies in the nation’s midsection, torrential rainfall is causing major flash flooding in parts of southeast Texas. The Houston area is particularly affected, witnessing over 17 inches of rain that fell on Monday alone, as reported by local meteorologists.

According to the Flood Warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier this morning, additional rounds of rainfall are expected over the next several days for flood-prone parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, including the Houston metro area. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is prone to heavy rains, and has seen a number of flooding events in the last year alone. However, this flood is by far the largest since Tropical Storm Allison (2001), making April 18th the second wettest calendar day on record for official reporting stations in Houston, dating back to 1888.

Since flash floods develop quickly, Agency Flood Resources encourages all those affected to stay alert and follow all necessary safety tips:

  • Monitor your surroundings and NOAA weather alerts;
  • Avoid disaster areas and any water covered roads, as vehicles can be swept away by less than 2 feet of water;
  • Get out of low areas that may be subject to flooding;
  • Watch for washed out roads, earth slides, and downed trees or power lines;
  • Stay away from power lines and electrical wires.

Agency Flood Resources also warns not to return to flooded areas until authorities indicate it is safe to do so and to use extreme caution when entering buildings that were flooded. Additional tips include:

  • Do not enter a building if it is still flooded or surrounded by floodwater;
  • Check for structural damage, inspect foundations for cracks or other damage;
  • Take pictures of the damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims;
  • Look for fire hazards, electrical system damage and broken utility lines;
  • Report damages to the local authorities and contact your property insurance agent.

Agency Flood Resources has substantial expertise assessing, insuring and mitigating flood risk, therefore please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have and to learn how we may be able to improve how you insure your client’s flood risk.


 

Premium Reduction Service Increases Self-Storage Property Value By More Than $625,000

One of the nation’s leading self-storage companies owns a property in Texas with 8 buildings, where the NFIP flood insurance premiums were $52,014 for the 8 NFIP policies. The client desperately sought a solution that would decrease its flood insurance costs while allowing it to maintain the same coverage in order to satisfy its lender’s flood insurance requirement.

The Solution

Our industry-leading flood team quickly determined that there were more favorable rates available for these buildings. This enabled us to re-rate the flood policies using the lower cost rate structure available through the NFIP. As a result, our Premium Reduction Service captured a large insurance refund, delivered substantial future savings, and increased the value of this property.

The Results

Our Premium Reduction Service delivered following valuable benefits:

  • Reduced annual flood premiums by $43,938 (84%).
  • Increased property value by more than $625,000 by capitalizing the annual savings at a 7% capitalization rate.
  • Procured a $43,938 insurance refund.

Download this case study in .pdf.


Contact us today to learn how our Premium Reduction Service can deliver valuable benefits to your clients.

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AFR Introduces Flood Zone Determination Service

Agency Flood Resources (AFR) is proud to announce the launch of an innovative and superior flood zone determination service that is designed to deliver results that are more accurate and more timely than the results of other flood zone determination providers. Our unique service is far more likely to prevent uninsured flood losses and enhance timely decision making, by solving many of the problems that are inherent to conventional flood zone determination processes.

The current industry standards are for lenders to run annual determinations on the anniversary of their initial determination and for insurance agents to, at best, run annual determinations as they approach each property insurance renewal. Both of these industry standards fail to identify map changes that occur in between the annual determinations and they fail to deliver results before a new flood map takes effect. These deficiencies leave most property owners susceptible to substantial uninsured flood losses and unexpected increases to their budget, while insurance agents susceptible to substantial errors and omissions exposure. Our innovative flood zone determination service is designed to notify you of forthcoming flood map changes in real-time prior to a new flood map taking effect, which greatly reduces the risk of your clients suffering uninsured flood losses and unexpected budget increases and, therefore, minimizes your errors and omissions exposure.

The current industry standard is for determinations to be based solely on geocode data and generated by systems that are completely automated, which increase the probability of error. Our proprietary process begins with Certified Floodplain Managers using property appraiser data to manually identify the correct parcel and then plot the parcel boundary and the footprint of each building to ensure accurate results.

The current industry standard is to base a determination on one pin point that is placed either at the mid-point of the boundary line adjoining the street or in the center of the parcel. Both of these processes are prone to error for large parcels or parcels with multiple buildings because they often span multiple flood zones. Our process ensures accurate results for every building regardless of the size of the property or the number of buildings on the property.

The current industry standard is to deliver a standard flood hazard determination form for each street address, which is an inefficient format for results for companies with sizable portfolios. Our system delivers a flood zone determination report in an Excel spreadsheet format, which makes it easy and quick to analyze results and to incorporate results in your client’s schedule of values.

Why reply on outdated technology and processes when, for about the cost, you can leverage our state-of-the-art technology platform and innovative process to monitor flood zone changes for your client’s entire portfolio in real-time.


Contact us to learn how our innovative flood zone determination service will minimize your errors and omission exposure while reducing the risk of your clients suffering uninsured flood losses.

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Flood warning: Major coastal flooding is expected along Jersey Shore this weekend

As a powerful winter storm aims at the Northeast this weekend, forecasters predict severe coastal flooding is likely to be among the worst on record along the Jersey Shore. According to the Coastal Flood Watch Warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier this morning, “the storm system is expected to bring strong onshore winds to the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey from Friday night into Saturday night, and the coastal flooding could last for three consecutive high tide cycles with water remaining trapped along the coast, and in the back bays and estuaries.”

Wave heights of as much as 20 feet are expected on the near-shore waters off New Jersey and Delaware over the weekend, ranking among the highest on record. That, combined with a full moon high tide and northeast winds that may gust to as much as 60 mph driving water onshore, could result in major flooding, causing significant property damage and beach erosion. A storm surge of as much as 5 feet on top of the high tide is expected as well.

In addition to those located on the shore and the eastern side of the bay, Agency Flood Resources encourages all those located along the western edges of the bays to stay alert as well, and make all possible preparations in an attempt to minimize the impact of flooding on their homes and business:

  • Take all necessary steps to prevent the release of dangerous chemicals that may be stored on the property; locate gas mains and electrical shut-offs and anchor fuel tanks.
  • Ensure that important document files are backed up away from your property so they aren’t lost if electronics and paper files are destroyed by water.
  • Review your disaster response and recovery plan with your staff and/or family members.
  • Contact your property insurance agent.

Agency Flood Resources has substantial expertise assessing, insuring and mitigating flood risk, therefore please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have and to learn how we may be able to improve how you insure your client’s flood risk.

Premium Reduction Service Increases a Multifamily Property’s Value by $2.4 Million

The Challenge

One of the nation’s leading multifamily companies owned a large apartment complex with 29 buildings, where the NFIP flood insurance premiums were $222,434 for 29 flood insurance policies. The high cost of flood insurance resulted in the property operating with a negative cash flow for several years, which substantially decreased the value of the property. The client desperately sought a solution that would decrease its flood insurance costs while allowing it to maintain the same coverage in order to satisfy its lender’s flood insurance requirement.

The Solution

We used our research-driven underwriting process to procure data that enabled us to re-rate the flood policies using an alternative rate structure available through the NFIP. As a result, our Premium Reduction Service captured a large insurance refund, delivered substantial future savings, and increased property values.

The Results

  • Reduced annual flood premiums by $166,825 (75%) while maintaining the same exact coverage.
  • Increased property value by $2.4 million by capitalizing the annual savings at a 7% capitalization rate.
  • Procured a $295,280 insurance refund.

Download this Case Study (.pdf)


Contact us today to learn how we can help you increase property values.

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