Flood Exposure Check

Step by step

1. Building gap = rebuild cost minus the $250,000 NFIP building maximum, never below zero.
2. Contents gap = contents value minus the $100,000 NFIP contents maximum, never below zero. The contents value is compared as entered; the actual-cash-value basis NFIP pays on is noted rather than modelled.
3. The headline is the two added together — the total value sitting above what an NFIP policy could pay.
4. Flood-zone risk and policy status do not change the arithmetic; they change how the result is framed, because the exclusion and the caps apply in every zone. With no policy, a high or moderate zone is framed as self-reported risk, an unknown zone as unmapped, and a low zone as simply uncovered.

The formula

Gap = max(0, rebuild cost − building cap) + max(0, contents value − contents cap).

Assumptions and their default values

Some of these change with the state you select.

Where the figures come from

• Statutory NFIP coverage maximums for single-family residences and the standard NFIP waiting period.

Important disclosures

1. This tool is educational only. It illustrates potential exposure using the assumptions shown — it is not insurance advice, a price, or an offer of coverage, and it does not determine whether any coverage amount is right for you. Policy language varies; review your actual policy and discuss your situation with a licensed insurance professional.
2. NFIP maximums apply to single-family residential policies and are set by statute; they can change. Private flood policies may offer higher limits, different terms, and different waiting periods.
3. NFIP building and contents coverage are purchased separately, and contents coverage is not automatic — carrying a flood policy does not necessarily mean your belongings are covered at all.
4. The contents value you entered is a replacement figure. NFIP contents coverage pays actual cash value — replacement cost less depreciation — so what it pays for belongings is typically below both the value entered and the contents maximum, even when the policy is in force.
5. Coverage below the lowest floor, including basements, is very limited under NFIP policies. Finished walls, floor coverings and most personal property in a basement are generally not covered even with a policy in force.
6. Self-reported flood-zone risk is not a substitute for the current FEMA flood map for your address, and maps are revised over time.