General Facts About Flooding and Flood Insurance
Flooding is a year-round, coast-to-coast threat to the United States as geography, seasonal weather, and human activity all play a key role. Flooding generally occurs when there is continuous rain over several days, when severe rain occurs over a short period of time, or when ice melt or a debris jam causes a river to overflow in its surrounding area.
Flooding isn’t, however, all natural.
Flooding can also result from the failure of manmade water control structures such as a levee or dam failure. However, the most common cause of flooding, especially in high-risk states such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and other coastal locations, is from rain and/or snowmelt that accumulates faster than grounds can absorb it or rivers can carry it away.