It makes sense that anyone who owns a home that is in a floodplain needs to have flood insurance.  But what about properties not in a floodplain?  You may actually look into purchasing flood insurance if you live in an area that isn't in a floodplain.  I heard about one home owner who lived at the end of a a street on a cul-de-sac.  Torrential rains fell and water flowing down the street toward his house was too much for the storm drains to handle.  The water flowed into a couple of rooms in his house causing quite a bit of damage.  Homeowners insurance would not cover this because it was caused by flooding.  He could have bought flood insurance at a pretty reasonable rate as it is very affordable to people who don't live in an actual floodplain.

Take a look at your house.  Does water drain adequately away from the foundation?  Does water pool anywhere in the yard after a hard rain?  Look at the terrain around your house.  If it is hilly, are there any natural channels that may bring water toward the house during a heavy rain storm?   If you have any reason at all to think that your house may be flooded during a freak rainstorm and you can not do anything to channel the water away from the house, talk with your insurance agent.  Flood insurance may make sense for you.do