Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight: Afloat Insurance Agency

Afloat Insurance is a niche Houston based agency focused on residential and commercial flood policies throughout Texas. Founding Owner Andrea Kawaja is a native Houstonian who has seen the devastating effects of flooding over the last 20 years.

Before opening Afloat, Andrea was a multi-line P&C agent for 17 years at a large national company in an area considered ground zero for catastrophic severe and repetitive flooding: Bellaire, Meyerland, Westbury, Southwest Houston, and beyond. She therefore served a book of business with clients who were the most affected by floods. They have unique underwriting issues that the average agent has never encountered. After each flood, Andrea helped hundreds of families through the claims process.

After the record breaking damage Hurricane Harvey caused, she was shocked to learn that only 20% of the flooded structures were insured. This was after other previous large scale floods of Tropical Storm Allison 2001, Memorial Day 2015, Halloween 2015, and Tax Day 2016.

Afloat was formed for three reasons: 1) to protect property owners from the significant risks of flooding; 2) to provide unique experience and skills to property owners based in high-risk zones; and 3) to correct misinformation and provide much-needed risk education about who is at risk, the costs of such insurance, what constitutes a flood zone, and where the risks are greatest. Simply put, Houston is a flood zone. Flooding can happen anywhere at any time.

Andrea is a registered NFIP Direct agent and was previously a WYO agent. In 2009, the area she served experienced a map change from X zone to AE zone. She spent the next year working policy conversions, dealing with map changes and rating high risk policies.

Now through Afloat she works directly with NFIP underwriters to quote and rate policies properly. Afloat has garnered a reputation for top notch customer service, attention to detail, and the ability to review policies to save clients money. People often ask, “how can Afloat Insurance save them money if all NFIP policies are the same”? The answer is simple. Afloat doesn’t offer better rates. Afloat brings the knowledge that each property is unique in its rating factors and works to account for them all to the client’s benefit.

Afloat Insurance plans to focus solely on flood insurance, and therefore welcomes the opportunity to partner with P&C agents whose clients need flood insurance protection.

Andrea Kawaja

To learn more contact | Andrea Kawaja Phone: (713)-540-8778

Email: andrea@StayAfloatTexas.com

Learn More | @StayAfloatTexas