What counts as a flood rather than water damage?

Where the water came from. Water rising from outside, such as surface runoff, an overflowing river or storm surge, is flood. Water escaping from a system inside the house, such as a burst supply line, is not. Find the source early: it decides which policy applies.

Only 47.9% of homes in high-risk zones have flood insurance. Is that right?

That is what FEMA’s counts give: 1,839,454 residential policies inside Special Flood Hazard Areas for 3,839,194 residential structures, as of 2026-08-03. The denominator is structures, not households or mortgages, so treat it as a close approximation.

Does a high claim count mean my state is dangerous?

Not directly. Claim counts are lifetime totals and are not divided by the number of homes, so a large state with long flood-insurance uptake records more claims without being riskier per house. Use the coverage figures to decide anything.

I am not in a mapped flood zone. Am I fine?

Not necessarily. Flood maps show modeled risk at a point in time. Outside a mapped zone your lender may not require flood insurance and a policy can cost less, but water can still reach the house.

Can I buy flood insurance after a storm is forecast?

Not in time for that storm, as a rule. FEMA says there is typically a 30-day waiting period before an NFIP policy takes effect, unless it is required by a lender, mandated, or tied to a flood map change.

How current is this data?

The claims dataset (OpenFEMA FimaNfipClaims v2, 2,721,780 records) was refreshed 2026-07-21; the coverage dataset is as of 2026-08-03. Both were retrieved 2026-09-05. FEMA revises them, so figures can shift between refreshes.

Water already came in from outside. What now?

Make it safe, then photograph everything before removal and note where the water entered. Then check which policy applies: is it covered sorts the cause, and flood damage restoration covers the cleanup.

HyreRestore tools

Flood coverage gap by state

For homeowners checking flood exposure before a storm, or working out which policy applies after water came in from outside. Pick a state; check your own address on the FEMA flood map.

47.9% of homes in FEMA high-risk flood zones carry flood insurance 1,839,454 residential flood policies for 3,839,194 residential structures inside Special Flood Hazard Areas, as of 2026-08-03. OpenFEMA counts; the percentage is a HyreRestore calculation.

A standard homeowners policy excludes flood, and FEMA’s data shows 47.9% of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas on the FIRM) carry an NFIP flood policy. That leaves 1,999,740 homes in those zones with none.

Pick your state for its coverage rate and NFIP claim history. Claim counts are lifetime totals, not a per-home risk rate.

Your state’s claim history and coverage gap

FEMA counts, HyreRestore percentages. Nothing is emailed.

— Coverage in mapped zones

— Coverage inside mapped high-risk zones

— Uninsured homes in mapped zones

— Coverage statewide

— NFIP claims on record

— Claims since 2015

What this assumed —

Claim counts are lifetime totals, not adjusted for housing stock. Not a flood map and not an insurance quote.

Why the coverage gap matters more than the claim count

A standard homeowners policy excludes flood. Flood coverage is a separate purchase, and FEMA’s own counts show how few homes have it.

2.89% of US residential structures carry an NFIP flood policy: 3,161,236 policies for 109,326,879 structures, as of 2026-08-03. Flood coverage has to be bought on purpose, and a homeowners policy gives no sign it is missing.

Inside mapped high-risk zones the rate is 47.9%. Special Flood Hazard Areas are the zones FEMA maps as high risk, where a federally backed mortgage generally requires flood insurance. Even there, 1,839,454 of 3,839,194 residential structures carry a policy, leaving 1,999,740 with none.

If water came in from outside and there is no flood policy, the restoration is paid in cash, not by insurance. Knowing that early changes every decision after it.

The claim counts are context, not risk. 2,676,223 claims are on record, 621,192 with a year of loss from 2015. They are lifetime totals, not adjusted for housing stock, so a large, long-insured state collects more of them without being riskier per home.

The national picture

2.89%of residential structures carry an NFIP flood policy: 3,161,236 of 109,326,879.OpenFEMA NfipResidentialPenetrationRates, as of 2026-08-03

47.9%coverage inside mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas.OpenFEMA NfipResidentialPenetrationRates, as of 2026-08-03

1,999,740residential structures inside mapped high-risk zones with no flood policy.HyreRestore calculation from the same dataset

2,676,223NFIP claims on record, 621,192 with a year of loss from 2015.OpenFEMA FimaNfipClaims v2, refreshed 2026-07-21

Where mapped-zone homes are least insured

The six states with the lowest share of homes inside Special Flood Hazard Areas carrying a flood policy, lowest first.

State	Coverage inside mapped zones	Coverage statewide	Uninsured homes in mapped zones	NFIP claims on record
West Virginia	10.3%	1.01%	55,280	27,832
Oklahoma	12.5%	0.46%	29,717	12,973
Iowa	14.2%	0.47%	26,097	14,748
South Dakota	14.3%	0.5%	7,880	4,017
Wyoming	15%	0.48%	4,120	561
Kansas	15.1%	0.45%	19,994	7,857

Where mapped-zone homes are best insured

The four highest rates. Even here, some mapped-zone homes have no flood policy.

State	Coverage inside mapped zones	Coverage statewide	Uninsured homes in mapped zones	NFIP claims on record
Virginia	99.6%	2.65%	152	50,566
Hawaii	87.9%	3.89%	1,008	6,250
South Carolina	85%	6.14%	11,668	49,606
Maine	78.5%	1.24%	1,107	5,671

The District of Columbia is left out of both tables: FEMA’s data lists no residential structures in its mapped zones, so there is no rate to rank.

Where the most NFIP claims have been filed

The six states with the most NFIP claims on record. A state can lead in claims and still leave many mapped-zone homes uninsured.

State	Claims on record	Since 2015	Share since 2015	Coverage in mapped zones
Louisiana	484,979	72,266	15%	73.1%
Florida	448,425	201,282	45%	67%
Texas	393,669	150,690	38%	47.5%
New Jersey	202,156	14,590	7%	63.3%
New York	175,253	12,323	7%	75.5%
North Carolina	109,539	33,190	30%	53.3%

Five steps before there is water in the house

Only the last one costs money.

Look up your address on the FEMA flood map
FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov) is free and searchable by address. Outside a mapped zone the modeled risk is lower; it does not mean water cannot reach you.
Read the flood exclusion in your own policy
Not a summary, including this one. It is short, and reading it once is worth more than any statistic here.
Know where water would come from
Flood and homeowners coverage divide on where the water started, not how much damage it did. A burst supply line and surface water outside are the same puddle and different policies.
Check whether your mortgage requires it
A federally backed mortgage on a home in a Special Flood Hazard Area generally requires flood insurance. If you have one and no policy, ask your lender now.
Price a policy before you need one
FEMA: there is typically a 30-day waiting period before an NFIP policy takes effect, with narrow exceptions. The day a storm is forecast is too late.

Questions about flood coverage

What counts as a flood rather than water damage?: Where the water came from. Water rising from outside, such as surface runoff, an overflowing river or storm surge, is flood. Water escaping from a system inside the house, such as a burst supply line, is not. Find the source early: it decides which policy applies.
Only 47.9% of homes in high-risk zones have flood insurance. Is that right?: That is what FEMA’s counts give: 1,839,454 residential policies inside Special Flood Hazard Areas for 3,839,194 residential structures, as of 2026-08-03. The denominator is structures, not households or mortgages, so treat it as a close approximation.
Does a high claim count mean my state is dangerous?: Not directly. Claim counts are lifetime totals and are not divided by the number of homes, so a large state with long flood-insurance uptake records more claims without being riskier per house. Use the coverage figures to decide anything.
I am not in a mapped flood zone. Am I fine?: Not necessarily. Flood maps show modeled risk at a point in time. Outside a mapped zone your lender may not require flood insurance and a policy can cost less, but water can still reach the house.
Can I buy flood insurance after a storm is forecast?: Not in time for that storm, as a rule. FEMA says there is typically a 30-day waiting period before an NFIP policy takes effect, unless it is required by a lender, mandated, or tied to a flood map change.
How current is this data?: The claims dataset (OpenFEMA FimaNfipClaims v2, 2,721,780 records) was refreshed 2026-07-21; the coverage dataset is as of 2026-08-03. Both were retrieved 2026-09-05. FEMA revises them, so figures can shift between refreshes.
Water already came in from outside. What now?: Make it safe, then photograph everything before removal and note where the water entered. Then check which policy applies: is it covered sorts the cause, and flood damage restoration covers the cleanup.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated September 5, 2026. Last reviewed September 18, 2026.

FimaNfipClaims v2: NFIP redacted claims (OpenFEMA / FEMA, retrieved September 5, 2026). 2,721,780 claim records, dataset last refreshed 2026-07-21. Source for every claim count on this page. Counts are lifetime totals, not adjusted for housing stock.
NfipResidentialPenetrationRates: residential flood insurance penetration (OpenFEMA / FEMA, retrieved September 5, 2026). 3,159 county rows, as of 2026-08-03. Source for residential contracts in force and residential structures, both statewide and inside Special Flood Hazard Areas. State-level rollups and percentages are HyreRestore calculations.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center (FEMA, retrieved September 5, 2026). Where a reader checks whether their own address sits inside a Special Flood Hazard Area. Free, searchable by address, and the authority this page defers to for any individual property.

Flood damage restoration Cleanup after water from outside.
Is it covered? Flood or water damage: which policy applies.
What homeowners insurance covers The flood exclusion in context.
Storm damage restoration Wind and water after a storm.
Should I file? When a claim is worth filing.

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