New flood insurance maps are coming
These maps will be used in coordination with the
The current flood insurance maps for
Rates have also remained the same since that time, as
The timing of the release of the preliminary maps coincides with a push in the
After the proposed House resolution passed the
"Does this bill include everything that I would like to see in a flood insurance reform bill?" he said in a statement on Wednesday. "No, it doesn't, but this bill is a substantial improvement over current law, and the five million policyholders across the country deserve for their elected officials to do their jobs and stop punting the program for a few weeks and months at a time."
Between 2008 and 2009, levee officials in
In the past,
Released in 2013, the working maps will come out about six years after
Under the old approach, Bourgeois said, "you're not only overestimating the flooding risk at some areas, you're underestimating the flooding risk at other areas."
He said
That's made it difficult to explain to representatives from other states how steep rises in the cost of flood insurance could have a detrimental effect on the local economy, Bourgeois said.
"Our problem in
The association is an organization of professionals in the NFIP flood hazard mitigation and floodplain management. The association has advocated for different ways to improve the affordability and effectiveness of the flood insurance program.
While he understood the potential economic ramifications of high insurance rates, Larson said the bottom line when looking at the program is asking who benefits and who pays when floods happen. Currently, the flood insurance program is about
"There are ways to address this and the way to address this is not to ignore it," said Larson.
Larson said the focus should be on safety and limiting the potential loss of life.
"It's really a local problem," he said. "You know you're at risk, and yet you continue to want to keep those people at risk."
He said he believes the focus should be on accurately assessing flood risk and providing more federal money for mitigation, such as elevating houses while keeping insurance affordable. By mitigating the risk, that reduces how many people are repeatedly flooded and file claims, reducing the financial burden on taxpayers.
Bourgeois said the proposed House resolution that is set to go on the floor in the next few weeks includes provisions to create a new zone on the flood maps that recognizes areas protected by non-accredited levees. It will also double the amount of money property owners can receive to mitigate flooding and protect the practice of grandfathering, or allowing rates for properties built at the time of old maps to stay the same.
But there is still more to be done, he said.
"To ask is it better than current law? Yeah, but marginally," said Bourgeois. "But it's better than not having the program."
After the working maps are released to local officials for review, Bourgeois said it will go to
Staff Writer
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