Feds: Last-Minute Insurance Purchases Won’t Cover Flood

A federal official says people who bought flood insurance at the last minute after learning of plans to release record amounts of water through the Missouri River reservoir system will not have coverage for damage caused by the rising water.

Barb Fitzpatrick of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says June 1 is the official start of the flood in the Dakotas because that’s when the Garrison Dam began to release more water.

Fitzpatrick says flood insurance underwritten by the federal government does not take effect until 30 days after it’s purchased, so no policies bought after May 2 will cover damage from the high water that’s expected to last for a month or two. That’s the case even if the damage happens 30 days or more after the official start.