The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers Group Flood Insurance Policies (GFIPs) to people who don’t have flood insurance and have received assistance from FEMA after a presidentially declared disaster strikes. GFIPs offer flood insurance coverage for three years, after which people are required to obtain and maintain flood insurance.

Almost 7,000 Texans were issued GFIPs following Hurricane Harvey, according to the Texas General Land Office, and those certificates will expire on October 24. If those people who received GFIPs don’t purchase flood insurance before their GFIP expires, they may not be eligible for future disaster assistance.

That means if another disaster strikes, those people won’t be eligible to receive home rebuilding aid or personal property replacement from FEMA or HUD-funded programs. Also, GFIP recipients who purchase a new flood insurance policy before their certificate expires do not have a 30-day waiting period that normally applies to the purchase of a standard flood insurance policy.

Share this reminder with your clients and friends affected by Harvey. They can find a flood insurance provider at floodsmart.gov or call 800-638-6620 for more information.