Welcome to New Jersey!
New Jersey's bays, rivers and 127 miles of ocean coastline provide recreational opportunities for the enjoyment of New Jersey residents and visitors alike. Over 300,000 acres of tidal wetlands provide breeding and nursery habitat for finfish and shellfish, and act as natural flood and pollution control features. The New Jersey coast boasts everything from the world-class commercial port of New York-New Jersey in the north to natural areas in the south on the Cape May Peninsula and Delaware Bay.
Protect Your home with FLOOD INSURANCE
Because of their location, coastal New Jersey areas are particularly susceptible to a broad range of natural hazards. Many parts of New Jersey's densely populated coast are highly vulnerable to the effects of flooding, storm surge, erosion, sea level rise, hurricanes and tropical storms. Others occur quickly, like storm surge and catastrophic storms. To learn more about coastal risks and management, visit NJ's DEP page for in-depth information on this subject.
It's not just the coast that is vulnerable to flooding, its anywhere there is tidal water and anywhere it rains! Between 2014 and 2018, more than 40 percent of flood insurance claims came from outside high-risk flood areas. Because your flood risk changes over time, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) work with communities across the country to identify and map flood risk on an ongoing basis.
Flood maps show a community’s risk of flooding. Specifically, flood maps show a community’s flood zone, floodplain boundaries, and base flood elevation. To learn more about your property's flood insurance requirements and risk, visit FEMA's flood map page.
Protect Your Home with HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE
Because of their coastal location, homes in New Jersey have a unique exposure to loss.
Living in an area affected by frequent hurricanes and tropical storms, such as the Atlantic Coast area, means your homeowners policy will likely have several deductibles. All states bordering the Atlantic Ocean, plus several more have some form of a special wind deductible. A deductible is the amount you pay before the insurance company pays for a covered loss.
You can expect to see a standard deductible, a hurricane deductible and a windstorm deductible. The amount of the deductible may be a flat amount, or more likely will be a percentage of your home's building limit. It's important to check your policy before a loss so you can plan for your out-of-pocket expense should you have damage from a storm. You can learn more about these deductibles at here.
Because of its increased risk of damage because of its proximity to water, New Jersey homeowners policies will also include sub-limits of coverage for some high risk perils, like mold, water and sewer back-up, freezing pipes and more. Besides location, occupancy also plays a part in risk; many homes are seasonal, rental properties or primary homes. Each occupancy needs a different level of coverage, and markets will vary according to the risk.
Whether you live in coastal Ocean City, the quaint towns along the Delaware Bay or the urban areas in the north, New Jersey makes a great place to raise a family, work or vacation. At Heist Insurance Agency, we will put together a policy that is right for you where you live, how you live and when you live at your home.