EDITORIAL: Flood insurance changes are coming

March 31-- Mar. 31--FEMA is planning big changes to the way it calculates flood risk and flood insurance rates, and the effects could be enormous for south Louisiana.

We should all hope the federal agency undertakes these changes with several important outcomes in mind.

First, the new flood risk calculations should be based on accurate information. This will differ greatly from FEMA's current practice of using flood maps that are in many cases decades old and no longer represent the real picture of elevations, protection and risk.

Second, there has to be an emphasis on keeping the program affordable for the people who need it, particularly those who already have policies in place. It would not be fair to change the calculations and price huge sections of people out of the program, the only way we have to purchase flood insurance.

Third, the new method of assessing flooding risk should be part of a larger commitment from the federal government to lessen risk where it can by investing in flood protection and coastal restoration -- two things we know will help make flooding less likely.

The new plan is still shrouded in doubt, as FEMA hasn't made details public. That has some of our federal officials cautiously optimistic, a feeling that could change once the new standards are released.

"There's not a lot of details behind what exactly that means, but for the big picture -- at least, what we've been told -- any effort to improve the accuracy of risk is good," said U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, whose district includes northern Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. "I certainly welcome any effort to better communicate risk and vulnerability."

And that, ultimately, will be the point of the whole exercise. People should have a reasonably accurate idea of the risks they face when they purchase property. Aside from anecdotal evidence, the people of south Louisiana lack that ability. The maps used to indicate risk should be based on the actual elevation of the land as well as the flood protection systems that are in place to help keep it from flooding.

FEMA has an obligation to use the most accurate information it can possibly acquire. But it also has a responsibility to impose reforms on its program without victimizing the very people the program is intended to help.

Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.

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