Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused flooding across western North Carolina, like here in Asheville. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty ImagesBut only about 2.6% of the 4.3 million properties across the state — or around 115,000 properties — had flood insurance as of June 2024, according to private provider Neptune Flood Insurance, which analyzed data from the government-backed National Flood Insurance Program. North Carolina Department of Insurance communications director Jason Tyson estimated that about 139,000 properties in the state have flood insurance through the NFIP. Part of the problem with flood insurance is a common misconception that regular home insurance covers flooding, which is rarely the case, four experts knowledgable about flood insurance and disaster management told Business Insider. "We don't think of western North Carolina and the Appalachian mountains as an area that has significant flood risk."

---

Persons: Hurricane Helene, Melissa Sue Gerrits, Neptune, Jason Tyson, Sue Gerrits, Trevor Burgess, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, Schlegelmilch, Margaret Walls, they're, there's, It's, it's, Helene, Jeremy Porter, Burgess, Yanjun Liao, Liao Organizations: Service, North, Climate Office, Neptune Flood Insurance, Flood Insurance, North Carolina Department of Insurance, The North, Information Center, Business, Getty, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia Climate School, FEMA, Associated Press, Resources Locations: Hurricane, North Carolina, Asheville, —, The, The North Carolina, Black Mountain , North Carolina, State, North, Florida , Louisiana, Texas, Asheville , North Carolina