A Tampa couple was left devastated when they learned their insurance company had denied their flood claim because their living room was classified as a basement.
Food water poured through Jaime Giangrande-Holcom’s home and destroyed everything in the living room when Hurricane Helene hit the Sunshine State in September.
The extensive damage prompted her and her husband to file a claim through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
However, an insurance adviser said the three and a half centimeter ‘step’ from the entrance to the living room means the area is technically classified as a ‘basement’ and therefore not included in their cover.
‘It’s ridiculous. It’s comical to even say the word ‘basement’ in the state of Florida,” Jaime shared WFLA.
Jaime Giangrande-Holcom (pictured) said an insurance adjuster denied her flood claim after Hurricane Helene
The adjuster said the three and a half inch ‘step’ from the entrance to the living room means it is classified as a basement and not covered by insurance
‘I grew up in New York and know what a basement looks like. I lived in basements. This isn’t a basement.’
The storm, which reached Category 4, killed more than 200 people in several states and early estimates show economic losses could exceed $50 billion.
Jaime and her husband had paid $3,800 for flood insurance this year through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The NIV defines a basement as any part of a building with a floor that is below ground level on all sides, according to the website.
She considers rooms that are not completely below ground level – such as sunken living rooms – to be basements, because the bottom floor is underground on all sides.
However, Jaime hopes that the measurements of her house will show that the living room is not below ground level and therefore not a basement.
“As far as measurements go, it goes up 4 inches in our house, and it’s a 3-inch step down to our ‘basement,'” she said.
Hurricane Helene’s waters flowed through Jaime and her husband’s Tampa home, destroying everything in her living room
The National Flood Insurance Program said sunken living rooms like Jamie’s are considered “basements” because the lowest floor is below grade
A FEMA spokesperson told the local news outlet that it is important for homeowners to understand what their policy does and does not cover.
“The National Flood Insurance Program considers a sunken living room to be a basement if it has a floor below grade (subgrade) on all sides,” the spokesperson said.
‘In this situation, the 3-inch deep (sunken) area of the said house is considered a basement and as a result there would be limited coverage in this area.’
Recent natural disasters have highlighted how few Americans have flood insurance – with experts now warning of the potentially devastating impact this could have.
Flood insurance is not included in homeowners insurance and must be purchased separately.
In some areas, including parts of Florida, flood insurance is required for government-backed mortgages for homes classified as high risk by FEMA.
However, insurers are increasingly raising prices and withdrawing completely from states, including Florida, as the cost of covering rising natural disasters rises.