You can insure your building and its contents with flood insurance.
It's the only kind of insurance that insures against flood damage
Homeowners and renters insurance usually don't cover flood damage, but flood insurance does. In the last 20 years, New Orleans has seen 42 flood events.
It might be required
You might be required to have flood insurance if you have a federally-backed mortgage or if your property received federal rebuilding dollars from a previous disaster.
It's worth the cost
New flood maps were adopted in New Orleans in 2016, making flood insurance even more affordable for many New Orleanians. The average annual flood insurance premium in NOLA is only $650. That small sum can cover a lot of damage. Flood insurance provides more recovery dollars after a flood than post-disaster assistance programs. In the last 20 years, NOLA property owners received 7 times more from flood insurance payouts than from FEMA payouts.
It's easy to get
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides federally-backed flood insurance to homeowners, business owners, and renters in New Orleans. Contact your insurance agent or find an agent through the NFIP Referral Call Center at (888) 379-9531. Get an elevation certificate if your agent says you need one. It's a documentation of your building's elevation. Email floods@nola.gov to see if the City of New Orleans already has one on file for your property. Remember, a policy can take 30 days to go into effect, so now is the time to purchase.