Army 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…

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FEMA 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…

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Consumer advocates encourage president Obama to speak out on NFIP during State of the Union address

President Obama will be delivering the annual State of the Union address this week on the 24th of January. In the past, the president has used this occasion to highlight some of the major issues that have put the nation on edge. He has also outlined plans legislators have come up with to fix a number of these problems. This year, consumer advocates from SmarterSafer.org are urging the president to make a statement regarding the state of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Thousands of people get their flood insurance…

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Congress extends the life of NFIP, but no clear solution is yet in sight

Federal legislators rules late last week to extend the lifetime of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) until May 31, 2012. The program had been scheduled to expire at midnight on December 23, which would have caused millions to lose their flood insurance. The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America has praised the extension granted to NFIP, though the program still suffers under the weight of massive debt that threatens its ultimate longevity. For now, the program is safe, but legislators still need to tackle the financial issues that…

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National Flood Insurance expiration delayed until January, legislators still slow to act

There seems to be no resolution in sight for the troubles plaguing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The program, which provides thousands of homeowners with affordable flood insurance coverage, is scheduled to expire on December 18, but legislators have yet to make an attempt to fix what has been called by insurance professionals a broken system. NFIP has stood before Congress for several months now through a series of imminent expirations. Thus far, legislators have done little else beyond voting to extend the program for another month, but that…

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