Flood insurance is not just for those of living on the coast, or close to a river, stream or lake.

• Homes in Vermont and upstate New York were flooded by rain from Hurricane Irene in 2011.
• 30,000 square miles of the Midwest were flooded by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in 1993.
• Flash floods affect every neighborhood, even desert cities such as Las Vegas.
• Your chances are 1 in 4 of experiencing flood damage during the course of a 30 year mortgage.

It seems like what used to be a hundred-year flood happens every other year. Today, flood insurance has become an essential component of your insurance coverage. However, nearly all property insurance policies, regardless of the carrier, exclude flood as a cause of loss for a property claim or personal property claim.

So how do you protect your home and belongings? You purchase flood insurance from an agent authorized to sell the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Depending on where you live, your mortgage may require you to purchase flood insurance

The program offers contents-only coverage for renters, and building coverage, with optional contents, for home owners. Read more about what is covered and what is excluded by the federal program

Use the hair dryer. Freezing pipes can be warmed by moving a hair dryer across the pipe, but do not hold the nozzle in one place for long.

Empty your closets. Some water pipes may run in the wall behind a closet. A full closet and closed door effectively block heat from the living areas penetrating the wall into the pipes.

Open cabinet doors. This lets warm air circulate to the water lines under the faucet.

Shut off the water. If there is no heat due to a power outage, shut off the supply line. If traveling during the winter, even for a day or two, shut off the main. By the way, a shut off is of no use if can’t be turned. Test it.

Get up at night. Periodically run the faucets and flush the commode to move standing water in both the inbound and outbound pipes.

Trickle the faucet. Because moving water is less likely to freeze, as a last resort, let the water run just a trickle overnight.

These ideas might save you a 3 a.m. emergency phone call to your landlord.

Thaw and dry the bird. Adding a partly frozen or wet bird to hot oil will cause spattering or a spill, possibly causing a severe burn or even a fire.

Don't overfill the oil. Because hot oil reacts like gasoline when it hits an open flame, do not over fill the tank, make sure the fryer is level, and slowly lower the turkey into the oil.

Get out your fire extinguisher. If there is a fire, don’t use the garden hose because water just makes an oil fire worse.

Give yourself some room. Setting up away from the house or garage provides a measure of safety. A covered patio or deck are not safe locations.

Never leave the fryer unattended. Oil stays hot a long time, so just because the heat source is off does not mean trouble can’t occur. Send the kids and pets elsewhere.

Read the manufacturer's instructions. Yes, it’s boring, but it could save your house.