"I can say that I'm 100 percent sure that another flood is coming," says Greg Coulson, who acts as a flood plane management specialist with FEMA.

"I can't tell you when, but I can tell you that another flood will be here."

Coulson paid a visit to Dexter this week to stress to residents the importance of purchasing a flood insurance policy.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages the National Flood Insurance Program, a program that, according to Coulson, is often misunderstood. He and two FEMA representatives were in the area to do their best to define FEMA's role, but primarily to encourage homeowners of all ages and with all ranges of property, to secure that property and their future by purchasing a flood insurance policy.

"Given the payback should a flood occur," Coulson explains, "flood coverage comes cheap."

Coulson defined much of the terminology that is being tossed around these days involving flood insurance, including something referred to as, "Increased Cost of Compliance" or ICC coverage.

"Most National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies include ICC coverage," he explained. "It applies when flood damage is severe. ICC coverage provides up to $30,000 of the cost to elevate, demolish, or relocate your home."

"Also," he said, "If your community declares your home to be 'substantially damaged,' or 'repetitively damaged' by a flood, it will require you to bring your home up to current community standards."

Coulson urges residents to examine any existing flood policies and to ask questions of any agent regarding a potential policy.

"Many people don't realize that to insure the contents of their homes, they must purchase an additional contents policy," he noted.

"Homeowners need to examine all options with their agents and make wise choices about the extent of coverage needed. They need to be aware of any exclusions in their policies as well."

Another point stressed by the FEMA representative is that there is a 30-day interim between the purchase of a flood policy and that policy's validity.

With that in mind, Coulson notes, "When the sun is shining is probably the best time to purchase a flood policy."

An excellent website exists for the examination of flood protection and serves as a tool for owners to estimate the damage their property might sustain based on various levels of flooding in their area. It is an interactive site that enables users to input information pertinent to their area and to use data to estimate the potential damage and expense in repairing that damage. The website is www.floodsmart.gov and comes highly recommended by representatives from FEMA.