What is considered a flood?

When I was heading to exercise this morning it was raining 'cats & dogs.'  Ironically I was trying to stay dry so I could go swimming!  On my way to my car after swimming it was raining so hard they should have moved the lifeguards to the parking lot!  And guess what?  It made me think of flood insurance.  Most people don't have it unless the bank makes them take it out but when you come right down to it everyone is in a flood zone.  A basic policy insuring the house for $20,000 and contents for $8,000 in a low risk zone costs just $176 a year.  It will insure your washer, dryer and freezer in the basement as well as your furnace, hot water heater, sump pump and potential damage to the foundation.  Floods can be caused by more than just rain.  What happens if your neighbor's above ground pool liner decides to rupture in the middle of the night?  That ground water could be considered a flood.  What if the water main bursts in front of your house?  Water from the main could be considered flood as well.  $176 a year, $15 a month!  Get with the program and be the first kid on the block to get a policy!