FEMA extends grace period for paying flood insurance premiums

Sergio Torres hugs his grandmother, Eva Perez as they clean up both their homes that were damaged by Tropical Storm Harvey on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Houston. Sergio Torres hugs his grandmother, Eva Perez as they clean up both their homes that were damaged by Tropical Storm Harvey on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Houston. Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 92 Caption Close FEMA extends grace period for paying flood insurance premiums 1 / 92 Back to Gallery

If your flood insurance premium payments were due between July 24 and Sept. 22, and you live in a county that was included in a presidential disaster declaration after Hurricane Harvey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended a grace period by which you can pay your premium.

The grace period is now 120 days, according to FEMA. That means you won't lose coverage if you can't make your payment right away, up to 120 days from when it's due.

"FEMA wants to ensure that policyholders affected by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey can focus on their immediate needs, begin to recover, and continue to have flood insurance coverage in the event of additional flooding," the agency stated in a notice Monday.

The agency also made it easier to receive payments faster and waived some paperwork necessary to process claims.

Find out more here.