EDITORIAL: Floods are inevitable. Soaking taxpayers isn’t.
But that's not such a rare distinction. A house near
There is a clear if maddening logic to this pattern.
The National Flood Insurance Program is under enormous strain right now because of the devastation wrought by hurricanes in
The federal program was established in 1968 to provide coverage that private insurers had abandoned. It serves the important purpose of saving property owners hit by unforeseen disasters from financial ruin. But it has failed to protect taxpayers from endless unnecessary claims in areas prone to flooding, notably along the
Unreasonably low rates mandated by
Absent reform, things will only get worse, as rising temperatures and sea levels put more land at risk of episodes of high water -- even as the demand for housing creates pressure to develop those lands. The good news is that there are plenty of people who recognize the need for change.
A coalition of advocacy groups from across the political spectrum, from the
On
Whether the
We can't prevent nature from doing its worst. But sound programs can minimize the damage it does. If anything good comes out of the terrible hurricanes this year, it may be a new resolve to keep the cost of such disasters from rising still higher.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
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