People are being reminded of the value of home insurance as flood waters sweep parts of the UK. In light of the recent wild weather, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is advising homeowners make sure their policies are up to scratch. The group estimates that the damage could cost as much as £100 million to rectify, with insurers already under strain to make payouts. "If you need alternative accommodation, that's usually covered in your policy so your insurance company will make sure you've got payments for any accommodation you may need," the ABI's Kelly Ostler-Coyle told the BBC. She revealed how a number of insurance companies had set up hotlines to deal with the growing number of queries from distressed homeowners. However, it seems that the worst may be yet to come. The Met Office has warned that 50 to 75mm of rain may fall over Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders on Wednesday morning. Tuesday will also see heavy rainfall, creating more problems for homes and businesses in the already affected areas. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely over the next 24 hours and will issue flood warnings if we expect the risk of further property flooding," commented Paul Davies, chief hydrometeorologist for the Met Office and the Environment Agency. He did, however, stress that the levels of rainfall were unlikely to be as bad as those seen last week and that flooding to additional properties would be kept to a minimum. The ABI representative stressed that incidents like this demonstrate how important it is to have home insurance in place and told the BBC that premiums are unlikely to rise as a result of the recent bad weather. She revealed that following the floods in 2007, around £3 billion of damage was incurred.
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