Certain residents of Michigan have recently received letters from their mortgage companies, informing them that they will be required to purchase flood insurance, or that coverage will be bought on their behalf. This is the result of a newly mapped flood plain by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and affects the residents of the Frank and Poet Drain, who are currently in an uproar over the sudden cost. Since February 2012, when the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) went into effect, there has been a much larger area…
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Oklahoma gap insurance to fill the additional need for flood coverage
According to a news release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, despite the fact that flooding is the most common form of natural disaster in the country, statistics continue to indicate that individuals are ignoring this risk and are failing to purchase the gap insurance required to cover them against this circumstance. There are approximately 1.7 million households in the state of Oklahoma, and fewer than 34,000 (approximately 2 percent) of them are covered in the event of flooding, from a policy…
Read MoreArmy Corps of Engineers warns that last year’s floods could spur yet more damage along the Mississippi River this year
Last year’s record breaking floods along the Mississippi River could put a significant amount of people in danger of similar events this year, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The events of last year have dealt a significant amount of damage to protective structures that block floods, such as levees and overflow channels. The communities that were affected by these events last year will be notified of the Army Corps of Engineers concerns in February. The Corps has identified several places where floods could be a major problem this…
Read MoreFEMA tours North Dakota to promote flood insurance awareness
Flood insurance continues to be a major issue for consumers and insurers alike. The outlook for the National Flood Insurance Program is bleak as federal legislators continue, without success, to fix the debt-riddled program. In an effort to raise awareness of the issue, FEMA, along with officials from the federal government, has embarked on a tour through one of the states most at risk of flooding events: North Dakota. The tour began in North Dakota on January 23 and will come to an end on January 26. During the first…
Read MoreLegislators look to revoke insurance mandate on areas protected from floods
Two legislators are looking to reverse federal flood-insurance mandates requiring property owners in areas protected by flood-control structures to have flood insurance. Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Mark Pryor of Arkansas say that the mandate presents an undue financial burden to those living in areas that are not prone to floods due to the protective measures taken against such a happening. The legislation in question is part of the National Flood Insurance Program, which itself is the subject of much debate in Congress due to its financial instability. The…
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