Water got into my house. Will my homeowners insurance pay, or do I need flood insurance?

TDI says a homeowners policy pays for the kinds of losses listed in it, including fire, lightning, explosion, vandalism, and windstorm (if you don't live on the coast). It won't pay for flooding, earthquakes, termite damage, or wear and tear; you can buy separate flood and earthquake policies [1].

For water, TDI draws the line this way: most homeowner and renters policies cover sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst pipe, a toilet overflow or a broken washer hose. Mold on an item damaged that way would be covered. Policies usually won't cover damage from gradual leaks, and mold from a flood would not be covered because home policies don't cover floods [1].

So the first question is what kind of water it was: sudden and accidental from inside the house, a gradual leak, or a flood. TDI says home policies don't cover floods, so flood damage needs a separate flood policy [1].