Some of Ian's victims finding out they may not be insured

Many Floridians bypassed expensive flood insurance

POMPANO BEACH - The cost of Hurricane Ian will be in the billions and sadly Florida victims are finding out too late they may not be insured. 

Most home insurance policies do not cover flood damage and between the storm surge on the coast and the rain dumped inland, miles and miles of property are submerged.

"It's disastrous, frightening and painful to see," said Anthony Lodovico, who lives near the water off A1A in Pompano Beach.

He watched his parents live through a flood as a child and it's one reason he carries flood insurance. 

"I wanted to protect my property and it was affordable," he says. 

The national flood insurance program on average costs about a thousand dollars a year.

Yet, only about half of Floridians who live in a floodplain carry flood insurance. 

We talked with Marsha and Greg Myers, who temporarily escaped to South Florida after their Bonita Springs townhome was destroyed by the hurricane this week. 

The water rose six feet in their home and they lost most of their possessions. "This is my first hurricane so it's a learning experience," said Greg Myers. 

"We knew it was prone to flooding, but it never got that high before," said Marsha Myers. 

FEMA has maps to show how prone your home is to flooding after having lost everything. 

The Myers say they'll find a new home in southwest Florida and consider flood insurance next time.

"We will definitely consider it and not pick a place on a canal. It's nice to be on the water but not worth that," Greg Myers said.  

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