Nearly all homes in counties hardest hit by Helene lack national flood insurance [Video]

In Buncombe County, N.C., where an entire town disappeared beneath floodwaters, less than 1% of households had flood insurance. In Unicoi County, Tenn., where dozens of residents were stranded atop a hospital roof as waters rose, it was under 2%.

On average, just a tiny fraction of households in the inland counties hit hardest by Hurricane Helene had flood insurance, according to a Washington Post analysis of recent data from the National Flood Insurance Program. Across seven affected states, only 0.8% of homes in inland counties affected by the hurricane had flood insurance. By contrast, 21% of homes in coastal counties in those areas had coverage.

The Post estimated the share of homes with flood insurance by using policy counts as of Oct. 1 provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and housing unit counts from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Experts say that lack of insurance will prove deeply damaging …