The Superstorm off the Atlantic is predicted to be less expensive than only Hurricanes Katrina and Ike. The damage caused by Superstorm Sandy is now predicted to be the third most expensive faced by the National Flood Insurance Program in the United States, and will have the largest amount of cost outside of the Gulf Coast region of the country. The states that were hardest hit include New York and New Jersey. According to Bloomberg Government’s BGOV Barometer, those two states are covered for nearly $100 million in flood insurance,…
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House of Representatives votes on 30-day flood insurance program extension
Federal bill would authorize new research to look into ways to draw private insurers into the marketplace. The House of Representatives is voting on a 30 day extension for the federal flood insurance program, which would also authorize a new study that would look into various ways that could help to attract more private carriers into the market. The vote is expected to pass, so that the extension can begin and the research can move forward. A different short-term extension was offered in the Senate by Majority Leader Harry Reid…
Read MoreNewly mapped FEMA flood plain requires some Michigan residents to purchase coverage
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…
Read MoreOklahoma 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 MoreWith National Flood Safety Awareness Week Kicking Off, SmarterSafer.org Urges Congress to Pass Long-Term Extension of Flood Insurance Program
With National Flood Safety Awareness Week kicking off, SmarterSafer.org is urging Congress to pass meaningful flood insurance reform and provide a long-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In a letter being sent to Congress today, the group said reform is necessary to protect homeowners and businesses. “March 12-16 has been designated as National Flood Safety Awareness Week, however, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has yet to be extended and is set to expire at the end of May,” said SmarterSafer.org. “The NFIP must be reformed and…
Read MoreFEMA clashes with National Wildlife Federation over flood insurance and endangered animals
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has come under fire from the National Wildlife Federation. The federation claims that the agency is granting flood insurance policies to land development projects that could put natural habitats at risk of destruction. The federation claims that FEMA is acting in violation of the Endangered Species Act, which protects these habitats from construction projects. These projects are primarily focused on the Puget Sound region of Washington. Without flood insurance, companies cannot expand into this region of the state because it presents a significant risk…
Read MoreMississippi could lose its access to flood insurance because of state law
Residents of Mississippi are in danger of losing their flood insurance if state legislators do not take action on a particular law. The state was put on notice by the Federal Emergency Management Agency late last week because one of the state’s laws makes hunting and fishing camps exempt from the building codes that govern the flood prone areas of the state. FEMA claims that if the issue is not resolved by May 5th, those receiving coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program will see their policies canceled. According to…
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