France's PM Asked Telecoms to Prepare a Social Media Cutoff

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The Ready Brief #234

Practical preparedness for uncertain times

Most homeowners and renters insurance does not cover flood damage, and a flood policy usually takes 30 days to start. That gap is easy to miss until a claim is denied. This issue covers what the National Flood Insurance Program pays for, what an average policy costs, and how to check your own flood risk in about ten minutes.

Understanding Flood Insurance

Here’s the fact that catches most homeowners off guard: most homeowners and renters insurance does not cover flood damage. If water enters your home from outside, whether from heavy rain, a rising river or storm surge, and damages your property, your standard policy almost certainly won’t pay for it.

Flood damage is covered by a separate policy, either through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by FEMA, or through a private flood insurance provider. If you don’t have one of these, you’re uninsured against floods, regardless of how comprehensive you think your homeowner’s coverage is.

The NFIP offers up to $250,000 in building coverage and up to $100,000 in contents coverage for residential properties. Premiums are based on where the property is built, how it’s built, and its replacement cost, and rates are the same through every NFIP insurer. Under FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 system, rates are set property by property rather than by flood zone map alone, so some premiums rose and others fell.

Who needs flood insurance? If you have a federally backed mortgage and your property is in a high-risk flood zone (Zone A or V on FEMA maps), your lender requires it. The more useful question is whether you need it even if your lender doesn’t. According to FEMA, on average 40% of NFIP flood insurance claims occur outside the high-risk flood areas. A clogged storm drain, a heavy downpour or a failing levee can flood a property in any zone.

There’s a timing issue. NFIP coverage generally begins 30 days after purchase, so you can’t buy when a storm is in the forecast and expect it to cover the resulting damage. The exceptions are narrow: no wait applies when you buy while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, and only a one-day wait applies if your property is newly placed in a high-risk zone by a map update and you buy within 12 months. The time to buy is during calm weather.

On cost, FEMA data reported by Kiplinger puts the average NFIP policy at about $786 per year (2023 figures). Your price depends on your property, and high-risk properties can cost significantly more. Private flood insurance is another option, so it’s worth getting quotes from both.

Know what is and isn’t covered. Building coverage includes electrical and plumbing systems, furnaces and water heaters, built-in appliances, permanently installed carpeting, cabinets, foundation walls and detached garages. Contents coverage is separate, with its own deductible, and includes clothing, furniture, electronics, and washers and dryers. Not covered: vehicles, landscaping and outdoor structures, temporary housing and additional living expenses, currency and valuable papers, and personal property kept in basements.

If you file a claim, document everything before cleanup. Photos, videos, inventory lists. The claims process mirrors what we covered in Issue 218: thoroughness upfront determines the outcome.

For renters, a separate flood policy covers personal belongings, with contents coverage up to $100,000. Because you’re only insuring contents, it’s typically cheaper than building coverage.

The bottom line: check your homeowner’s or renter’s policy today and look for the flood exclusion. If it’s there, decide whether flood insurance makes sense for your property. Use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to check your risk, and if you decide to buy, do it now, before the forecast turns.

Check your flood risk at FEMA’s map center.

Go to msc.fema.gov, enter your address and see what flood zone you’re in. Then check your policy for the flood exclusion. It takes about 10 minutes.

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CPSC Tells Owners to Stop Using 393,000 Tristar Pressure Cookers

First reading. On Oct. 15, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers to stop using about 393,000 Tristar Power Quick Pot 6-quart pressure cookers, model Y6D-36 (label on the back). CPSC says the lid can open while the pot is pressurized, expelling hot contents, and it has 24 reports of serious burns. The units sold from about July 2018 to November 2023 for $44 to $160 at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, eBay.com and others. CPSC says importer Tristar Products has refused to recall them or offer a remedy. Stop using the cooker and dispose of it, and report injuries at SaferProducts.gov. Next checks: whether Tristar reverses, whether the burn count rises above 24, and whether retailers pull listings.

Source: CPSC Warning 27-030

Selco Begovic survived more than a year in a city under siege during the Bosnian War, with no power, running water or stores, and wrote about it in SHTF Survival Stories: Memories from the Balkan War. His situation is far more extreme than a flood claim, but it points to something we think applies here: it is easy to put off preparing for a risk you haven’t lived through.

Our takeaway, not a claim from the book: if you’ve never been flooded, a flood policy can feel like wasted money. The premium is a known cost, while an uninsured flood is an unpredictable one, and the 30-day wait means the decision has to be made well before the water is near.

France’s Prime Minister Asked Telecoms to Prepare a Social Media Cutoff

French investigative outlet Blast reports that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote to Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom on Oct. 22, asking them to be ready to suspend access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X on instruction, ahead of the Oct. 24 protests. Blast says the measure was considered for up to twelve hours from about 2 p.m. on Oct. 24 but was never applied. At a meeting the next day, operators reportedly raised concerns about proportionality, said they could not quickly limit a block to mobile or certain areas, and noted that a VPN would bypass it. The reporting points to a 2025 Council of State ruling that annulled a 2024 TikTok block in New Caledonia. This is one outlet’s account, and we found no public confirmation or denial from the government.

Source: Univers Freebox, L’Esprit FR, Sigmalive, all citing Blast

FEMA Flood Map Service Center (Online Tool)

This isn’t a product, it’s a free government tool, but it belongs here because many people don’t know it exists. Enter an address and see its flood zone on the official FEMA flood maps.

We recommend running your address through it before you read a single quote, so you know your zone going in.

Budget alternative: Ask your insurance agent or lender whether they can look up your property’s flood zone ($0).

Overrated: Assuming you’re safe because you’ve never flooded. FEMA says on average 40% of NFIP flood insurance claims occur outside high-risk flood areas, so a low-risk map zone does not mean no risk.

Underrated: Getting a private flood insurance quote alongside the NFIP. Private policies can differ in coverage limits, waiting periods and price, so compare before you buy.

Tactical flashlight selection. There are hundreds of options and much of the “tactical” marketing doesn’t help you choose. We’ll cover what matters.

How was today’s issue? Tap one below. If you pick “Could be better,” tell us what to fix.

PS: The 30-day waiting period is the detail that catches people. If you’re considering flood insurance, start now, because coverage generally won’t begin until 30 days after you buy.

THE READY BRIEF is published for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is professional legal, medical, financial, or tactical advice. Preparedness looks different for every household. Use your own judgment, consult qualified professionals when the stakes are high, and adapt what you read here to your actual situation.