CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Rhonda Siegel thought she had done everything right.
Before Hurricane Helene hit, the Clearwater Beach homeowner called her insurance broker to confirm she had everything she needed. She had both home insurance and flood insurance. Her broker told her she was covered.
Then the storm surge came.
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Not enough flood insurance
On Sept. 26, 2024, floodwater seeped into Siegel's one-story home on Clearwater Beach. As she watched from afar, neighbors sent her photos of the flooding.
"I was like getting notifications from my neighbors that had stayed sending me pictures of the flooding in their basement, and I was like, well, if it's in your basement, it's in my, I'm a one-story, it's certainly in my home already. And so I pulled out my insurance," Siegel said.
That is when she saw it.
"And I looked down at my paper, and I could see right on it that it said content: zero," Siegel said.
Siegel had flood insurance — but only for her dwelling. Her contents, everything inside the home, were not covered.
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"I literally, I don't think I slept that night because I couldn't call anybody. I didn't, couldn't ask anybody, does this really mean?" Siegel said.
When she was finally able to return home, the damage set in quickly.
"It's funny, when I got home, you get to come back in, the water has receded, it doesn't look that bad, and then I look at my sofa, and there is a water line, and I open cabinets, water comes pouring out - dishes, electrical anything is gone," Siegel said.
Dwelling coverage vs. contents coverage
The distinction Siegel missed is one that Justin Levey, with Edgewater Insurance in Pinellas County, says he sees often.
"It's more common than I would like it to be," Levey said.
The way Siegel explains it: building coverage means that if you flipped the house upside down, anything still attached would be covered under the policy. Anything inside — like furniture — would not.
Levey says that with a FEMA flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program, coverage is typically $250,000 for the dwelling and $100,000 for contents.
"Most loans are going to require you to have the $250,000 in dwelling if, you're in a flood zone, and then everything else is going to be voluntary," Levey said.
He says contents coverage is sometimes left out intentionally.
"There are times where to keep the cost down, contents are not quoted as part of the policy," Levey said.
After discovering the gap in her coverage, Siegel added contents coverage — up to the $100,000 maximum. Her policy went up about $1,600.
"Total worth it 100%," Siegel said.
Siegel says she hopes her story helps someone else avoid what she went through.
"I don't think that's talked about enough to make sure that, yes, you need to have flood insurance, but make sure you have the right insurance underneath that," Siegel said.
What you should do now
Levey recommends starting with your declaration page on your insurance policies to make sure you are covered. If you are unsure, call your agent and get a second opinion. You can also call your insurance carrier directly to better understand your coverage.
He recommends checking your coverage now. Most insurance companies will not allow you to change or add coverage once a storm is on the way.
"I felt stupid. I felt like, how did I miss that? But I looked back, and I was like, gosh, I thought I did everything right," Siegel said.
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