how often does "never" really mean?

A few days ago on the news:

... so many of these people don't have flood insurance ...

what?

... during the big 1997 flood, these lands were dry corn fields. ....

well, I suppose if it was dry during that huge flood, one might expect it to be dry no matter what.

... they were told they'd never have to worry about getting flooded.
now, seriously, unless you live on top of a mountain, anyone in the Midwest who tells you 'you'll never need to worry about flooding' is lying or stupid. Or perhaps she's lying and hopes you're stupid.

I have flood insurance on our house in Lansing. And it sure as hell is not within sight of a big open plain near a huge river prone to flooding. I cannot comprehend the amount of flooding that would be necessary to get the Grand River up and into our basement there. But if it does do that 500-year flood, we're set.



update....

well, after writing that, this afternoon I read:
In fact, only 4,558 homeowners in the entire state of North Dakota and fewer than 9,000 in Minnesota carried flood insurance as of January, the most recent figures available.

Fargo: 586 of 92,000
Moorhead, MN: 145 of 30,000