There are more than 90,000 dams across the United States, and many people are not aware that they live near one or more of them.
Could living near a local dam put your home at risk of flooding?
About 27,000 of U.S. dams are at risk of experiencing damage or even a dam failure. And no dam is completely floodproof. That means flood risk is a real threat for properties that are downstream or located below a dam.
Dams can be damaged or fail for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Poor maintenance
- Structural problems
- Not being designed for the severe storms that are increasingly common
Take action to understand your risk and protect the life you've built.
- Find out what dams are located near you at the National Inventory of Dams.
- Use the cost of flooding tool to see how flood damage could impact your finances.
- Understand why flood insurance is so important:
- Most homeowners and renters insurance does not cover flood damage.
- Disaster assistance is only available when there is a Presidentially declared disaster - and most floods are not declared disasters.
- When available, most disaster assistance is in the form of a loan that must be paid back with interest.
