VALLEY MILLS, Texas — The aftermath of rainstorms across Central Texas has left many home owners in complete devastation. If you are flooded from the heavy rainfall, you might be wondering what to do next.
The first step you can take is figuring out if you have flood insurance.
If you are in a certain amount of a flood zone area, you'll likely have it, but flood insurance is not required for everyone.
Justin Gaidusek is the Vice President of Agency Development of Rollo Insurance in Salado and says it's still encouraged though.
"There's just a big misnomer of when I buy a home insurance policy, I've got coverage," Gaidusek said. "I think people need to understand that's not necessarily the case. Any kind of rising water from outside of the home would not be covered on a standard homeowner's insurance, you would have to have a flood policy. I think that's really key for consumers to understand."
Donna Veteto is a reporter, photographer and editor for the Valley Mills Progress. Veteto witnessed the heavy rainfall in Valley Mills that shut down roadways.
"Over 15 inches of rain in less than a week," Veteto told 6 News. "This came up literally overnight. If you didn't have flood insurance and the water had gotten into these houses, the cost would have been devastating."
The cost for flood insurance varies.
"It's going to go by your address, zip code and where you fall within a flood," Gaidusek said.
Gaidusek encourages those with questions to utilize an insurance agent. It's all to keep you safe.
"Everybody look into some sort of coverage," Veteto added. "Especially in these lower lying areas. Because again, this came up overnight. You just can't you cannot predict the weather. You can't forecast and they will do a good job but you can't totally know what's going to happen."
If you don't have flood insurance, you will need help from the National Flood Insurance Program administered by FEMA, a government entity that steps in to help during emergencies like this.
Texans impacted by severe weather are urged to report damage to homes using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool.
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