Flood insurance claims in the District of Columbia

FEMA records 501 National Flood Insurance Program claims in the District of Columbia, since 1978, with $5.5 million paid in total. The year with the most claims was 2020, with 63. As of 3 August 2026, 1.1% of homes here had an NFIP policy.

NFIP claims on record501

Total paid$5.5 million

Claims with a payment270

Homes with NFIP policy1.1%

High-risk zone homes insuredn/a

Residential policies in force1,443

Claims by year of loss

NFIP claims by year of loss, the District of Columbia

Paid on claims by year of loss (building, contents and increased cost of compliance), the District of Columbia

Named flood events with the most claims

Event (FEMA name)	Claims
Flooding	10
Hurricane Irene	7
Hurricane Sandy	6
Tropical Storm Ophelia	3
Hurricane Ida	1
Tropical Storm Bill	1

ZIP codes with the most claims

ZIP code (as reported)	Claims
20019	74
20007	72
20011	46
20016	42
20002	40
20001	34
20015	25
20020	24
20018	22
20009	19

71 of the claims were on properties rated in a high-risk flood zone (zones starting A or V). Building $4.9 million, contents $696,169, increased cost of compliance $0.

Flood insurance take-up

	Homes	With NFIP policy	Share
High-risk flood zone	0	265	n/a
All homes	125,848	1,443	1.1%

FEMA counts residential structures and NFIP residential policies in force as of 3 August 2026. Private flood policies are not counted. A share is shown as n/a where FEMA counts no homes or more policies than homes.

Flood insurance basics. Most standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. NFIP policies are sold through insurance agents and through FEMA's FloodSmart site, which also explains waiting periods (usually 30 days before cover starts). Check your property's flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Sources

Checked 29 October 2026. Claims are NFIP claims only. Private flood insurance claims and uninsured losses are not included. Recent events can take months to be fully reflected.