Flood Insurance in Ocala, FL, Parcel by Parcel

The distinction that decides claims: water that arrives from above, through a damaged roof or a burst pipe, is generally a claim on the homeowners policy. Water that arrives from the ground, rising across the property, is generally flood, and typically needs a separate policy.

Two inches of rainwater that entered through a failed roof and two inches that rose from the yard look identical on the floor and are typically handled by different policies. Hurricane wind damage falls under the home policy's hurricane deductible, which the homepage turns into dollars, and ground that collapses is a sinkhole question with two coverages of its own.

A flood zone is FEMA's mapped assessment of flood hazard for an area, and it is a starting point for any flood quote.

FEMA's flood zones sort areas by hazard. High-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas are zones beginning with A or V, the areas with a 1-percent annual chance of flooding. Moderate hazard areas are Zone B or shaded X, and minimal hazard areas are Zone C or unshaded X. Moderate and minimal hazard areas are still mapped flood hazard areas: lower risk is not no risk.

The zone is worth checking for the specific property rather than assuming, and the guide to reading a Marion County flood zone shows how.

• Building coverage: generally the structure itself
• Contents coverage: generally your belongings, typically a separate coverage from building coverage, and the one a tenant needs because a renters policy stops at rising water

Before you rely on a policy, ask how it treats a basement and anything stored below the lowest floor of an elevated home. A building your business owns is quoted for flood alongside the rest of a small-business package.