Floods, landslides, mudflows, and your home insurance
The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement on January 30, 2024, warning people in Western Washington about an increased threat of landslides.
“Rainfall of one to five inches over the past three days has increased soil moisture to high levels across western Washington. Heavy rainfall of one to three inches is expected over the next several days.
“This amount of rain will put extra pressure on soil instability, leading to an increased threat of landslides.”
Two landslides had already been reported, in Mason County and in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood.
What happens if your home is impacted by a landslide? A standard homeowner policy won’t cover damage covered by land movement or a landslide caused by rain runoff, snowmelt, flooding or earthquakes.
There’s a few additional coverage options available to protect your home in the event of a landslide — or, depending on the situation, a mudflow.
There’s an important distinction between landslides and mudflows.
- A mudflow is a mass of water and fine-grained earth materials that flows down a stream, ravine, canyon, arroyo, or gulch. Mudflows are covered by flood insurance, which is also separate from homeowner policies. Flood insurance may apply to some water-related erosion and flash floods.
- Landslides are the downward and outward movement of slopes composed of natural rock, soils, artificial fills, or some combination. They move by falling, sliding, and flowing along surfaces marked by differences in soil or rock characteristics. In insurance, they’re considered an “earth movement” event.
You can purchase a “Difference in Conditions” (DIC) policy to cover landslides, mudflows, earthquakes and floods. Your agent or broker may be able to get you this coverage in the surplus line market, which insures risks the industry traditionally doesn’t insure.
Earthquake insurance, however, is separate from a DIC policy. Landslides are caused by erosion or water accumulation that destabilizes the land; earthquakes are caused by seismic activity. Earthquake insurance doesn’t cover damage from floods, tidal waves, tsunamis, landslides, settlements, mudflows, or the earth sinking and contracting.
Earthquakes and your belongings
- Content coverage is a special rider for your homeowner policy that includes coverage for the contents of your home from all perils, including earth movement. (This rider only covers contents, not the structure.) Some insurance companies may not offer this option, so you may need to shop around.
- If your auto insurance policy includes comprehensive coverage, your car is covered for damage incurred in a landslide, a mudflow or an earthquake.
