Thousands of uninsured homes were in Helene's path [View all]

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In Buncombe County, N.C., where an entire town disappeared beneath floodwaters, less than 1 percent of households had flood insurance. In Unicoi County, Tenn., where dozens of residents were stranded atop a hospital roof as waters rose, it was under 2 percent.

On average, just a tiny fraction of households in the inland counties hit hardest by Hurricane Helene and its remnants had flood insurance, according to a Washington Post analysis of recent data from the National Flood Insurance Program. Across seven affected states, only 0.8 percent of homes in inland counties affected by the storm had flood insurance. By contrast, 21 percent of homes in coastal counties in those areas had coverage.

The Post estimated the share of homes with flood insurance by using policy counts as of Oct. 1 provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and housing unit counts from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Experts say that lack of insurance will prove deeply damaging for those households in the years to come, adding to the overall toll of the devastating storm. So far, there have been at least 213 deaths confirmed in six states as of Thursday. Available disaster assistance funds are largely intended to pay for temporary shelter, food and water - not to rebuild homes. And thanks to a combination of outdated policies and high prices, most people don’t know they should enroll in flood insurance - or can’t afford it.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/thousands-uninsured-homes-were-helene-001114475.html