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a permanent site and properly anchored can also be insured. You can get coverage on the building as well as for contents. Building Coverage. Insurance can be purchased for the build- ing, including walls, floors, insulation, wall-to-wall carpet- ing, furnace, and other items permanently attached to the structure. (Permanent items include anything that would not fall out if you were to turn the building upside down.) Up to 10 percent of the policy value for building coverage may apply to a detached garage or carport on the same lot. If you buy insurance for 80 percent or more of the replace- ment value of your house, you will be reimbursed for the replacement value of damage to your house-no depreciation will apply. If your coverage is for less than 80 percent, you will be reimbursed for the actual cash value of the damage-replace- ment value minus depreciation. Contents Coverage. Contents coverage insures your personal property. Renters as well as own- ers may purchase contents coverage. Although you can get contents coverage without hav- ing a building coverage policy, those contents must be located in a building that can be insured under the NFlI' Contents cover- age will pay some of the costs of moving and storing contents in a safe place when a flood threat- ens. Basements. Building coverage is recommended to cover the walls, floor, furnace, and other structural components of a base- ment. However, the NFlP does not cover finished portions of a basement (carpets, wallboard) or its contents. Damage to the basement foundation is a major problem during floods, so this coverage can be very important even though it does not cover the finished portions (carpets, wallpaper) of basements. Some private companies sell coverage for water damage caused by sewer backup or sump pump failure-items that are not cov- ered by the NFlI' NFlP flood insurance is sold through private insurance agents and companies. All poli- cies offer identical coverage and rates. Newer or substantially improved houses are charged flood insurance rates according to their elevation in relation to the expected flood level. Older houses, which are "grandfa- thered" in, qualifY for a flat, subsidized rate. Houses outside floodplains that are identified on Flood Insurance Rate Maps often pay lower rates. You can check your property's location on a Flood Insurance Rate Map at your building department or ask an insurance agent. A few private insurance com- panies sell their own flood insurance policies, although the coverage and rates are different from the NFlP's. Some mobile home insurance covers flood losses. Unlike the NFlp' private insurance varies from company to company, so check around to compare their coverage and rates. If you are located in a flood- ,("&, sl1r 'p --- ---- --- ~""'-:J1'- -- Prepare for tbe Next Flood "l - 45