Flood insurance is what you used to regret buying in the dry years and wish you had bought in the wet years. Now that our planet has entered the Global Warming Era, there are no longer dry and wet seasons- instead we have “very dry” and “very wet” seasons. And Very Wet season means that everyone, everywhere should have flood insurance. Take a town like Cedar Falls, Iowa, where the Cedar River is reportedly cresting at an all-time high of 102 feet. Officials are preparing to evacuate residents along the Cedar River, which threatens to breach a levee, according to the New York Times.

Earlier in the week, in Wisconsin, a piece of Lake Delton's shoreline broke and washed away several homes, leading to more evacuations. Whereas homes and their contents may be beyond repair, the homeowners with insurance at least have a chance to get their lives back to normal more rapidly.

Few people are prepared for a natural disaster or even know how to prepare. It is always better to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to insuring your home. So, what should those who live near highly floodable areas do to protect themselves? Clearly the most important thing is to buy flood insurance. At least you will be compensated for losses.

The National Flood Insurance Program offers coverage for sale to homeowners and businesses located along coasts, on islands, and along rivers. NFIP flood insurance will cover damage to mechanicals of the house – the furnace, washer or dryer and water heater, but not the exterior or the contents. For more complete coverage, you must buy a separate policy, called a policy rider, from your private insurer for the contents of your home.

The NFIP, founded in 1969, also regulates the zoning of the communities it covers: Including preventing homes from being built in floodplain areas most susceptible to flooding. According to Lynch, topographical floodplain maps stipulating low-lying areas are required in NFIP municipal offices. Flood insurance rate premiums are based on the floodplain zoning on these maps. In areas that participate in the NFIP, if you have a federally backed mortgage, it is mandatory to purchase flood insurance. If you do not have a federally backed mortgage, you can go without flood insurance at your own risk.

Ask an independent insurance agent for specifics about coverage but it is widely available. It is very, very seldom that people want it and they can’t get it. There is a 30 day delay after purchase before the coverage starts.