Many homes and businesses in the Green River Valley that have never been affected by floods are now at risk if engineers release large amounts of water from the Howard Hansen Dam.

That means it's time for those now at risk to look into getting federal flood insurance and understand what it covers.

Little David's Sub Shop, a popular family-run sandwich shop in Kent, is only a few blocks from the Green River.

Danny Kakuk has owned the shop for more than 20 years and in all that time, the Green River has never threatened his home or business.

Now, officials have told Kakuk that his shop and other nearby homes and businesses face the threat of flooding if engineers are forced to release large amounts of water from the Howard Hansen Dam this fall and winter.

The aging dam is in need of repairs that won't be completed until Nov. 1.

Kakuk bought federal flood insurance, but was alarmed to learn that while it covers damage and loss from floodwaters, it does not compensate him for the time he'll have to close his sandwich shop.

"You know, the water comes through and wrecks a bunch of stuff and the insurance takes care of that. but if we're down for a long period of time because people can't commute through the valley, how do I feed my family? This is what we do. This is how we put food on our own table," said Kakuk.

Karl Newman of the Northwest Insurance Council says homeowners in the flood zone also must be aware that homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flood damage of any kind.

"If it's the Howard Hanson dam that's at risk of failing, if it's rising water due to heavy rain, if it's a water main in a city street that bursts--regardless of the cause of water coming inside your home or business, that is specifically excluded from your insurance coverage," said Newman.

Working with his insurance agent, Kakuk was able to buy supplemental insurance to cover loss of business.

"It's great to get a new cooler if I get flooded out, but how do I survive if we're down for a long period of time? So my concern was loss of sales, loss of business," said Kakuk.