Flood insurance shows its benefits

President Obama's declaration Friday of an emergency in six local counties is the first in a series of steps before flooded regions can get federal aid, but many flood victims don't have to wait that long to get things rolling.

Victims covered by federal flood insurance can file a damage claim as soon as emergency management officials allow them back into their homes and they can assess their damage.

"You don't have to wait" for the president to do anything else to file a claim, said Theodore B. Wampole Jr., a lead sales representative for Liberty Mutual in Wilkes-Barre.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program, advises flood insurance policyholders to contact their insurance agents about filing claims, though Wampole said they can also call a toll-free FEMA number.

The national flood insurance call center's toll-free number is 1-800-427-4661, according to FEMA's website.

"An adjuster will be in touch with you as soon as possible and will work with you to calculate the value of the damage and prepare a repair estimate," a FEMA brochure says.

Flood insurance typically covers a home and its contents. Basement damage is only covered if it involves a washer, dryer, heating furnace or water boiler or refrigerator, Wampole said.

For flood victims without flood insurance, federal help could still be available. FEMA might cover damage to a primary residence if it entails making "the damaged home safe, sanitary and functional," according to a FEMA document.

But FEMA aid does not happen unless the president declares a disaster.

Obama's declaration Friday of an emergency was not the same as a disaster declaration.

The emergency declaration allows FEMA to provide help for measures that alleviate widespread emergencies - typically anything meant to save live, protect property, public health and safety and to avert catastrophes.

It addresses immediate dangers and could include reimbursement for police protection, bottled water or other commodities for shelters, generators.

The emergency declaration covers Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties and 36 other counties.

Beyond that, there is long-term help of two general categories - assistance for individuals and assistance for governments that need to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Getting that aid requires damage assessments and a presidential disaster declaration.

That is done by teams of federal, state and local damage inspectors.

Usually, one team assesses home and business damage and another focuses on damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

For homeowners and business owners to be eligible, "FEMA typically requires a very large number of homes (or businesses) to have suffered major damage or to have been destroyed," said Cory Angell, a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesman.

There is no threshold number for individual damage that an individual or region must meet to obtain a presidential disaster declaration, though major damage is generally a requirement, said Nicholas Morici, an external affairs officer for FEMA.

"We look at, more or less, the humanistic side of it, too," he said.

If a disaster is declared FEMA can provide up to about $30,000 per household to pay for home repairs, temporary housing, cleanups and generally anything that makes a home suitable again, Morici said.

"Nobody's going to get a 40-inch Sony," he said.

He suggest homeowners document "all their damages to the 'T'," including taking photos, he said.

FEMA will typically set up a central disaster recover center in an affected region once the declaration happens.

For damage to roads and bridges, states and counties have specific damage threshold guidelines to meet to warrant federal aid to fix roads and bridges, Angell said.

Pennsylvania's threshold is $16.5 million, a threshold almost undoubtedly exceeded in this flood across the 42 counties, Angell said. The threshold for Luzerne County is $1,049,402, Lackawanna, $701,209, Susquehanna, $141,774, Wyoming, $92,463, Monroe, $555,383, and Bradford, $204,774.

Angell cautioned the thresholds are only guidelines and falling short does not necessarily mean it will not be eligible for aid.

How long it takes to get a disaster declaration varies, though most serious disasters take days to a week. Often, the wait depends partly on how quickly officials collect damage estimates. Sometimes, road damage limits restricts the ability to conduct assessments.

"I've seen them take weeks, I've seen them take days, I've seen them take hours," Morici said. "We're asking people to be patient."

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com