Storms are getting worse. But some St. Louis-area residents still can’t get flood insurance.
Flooding in
Water and mud coat the floor of Jami Lane’s home in
The absence of those flood insurance options is the result of local elected leaders declining to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, which makes an area eligible for the coverage as long as it adheres to some “flood-smart” rules and conditions, such as refraining from high-risk development in floodplains.
But the lack of such an insurance option in areas like unincorporated parts of
“It does have a consequence,” said
Heavy rains on
Some places — such as
In
Tallies of local damage are still being compiled, said
But as of last week, he said, 71 properties had reported damage, including severe impacts at about two dozen of them.
Rain, risk and a ‘roller coaster’
And Bierman said “there’s a lot more” property that has been affected, based on the 170-plus kits of cleanup items distributed to local residents so far. (He added that some local recovery efforts in the immediate aftermath of the flood were further complicated by massive flooding at
Flooding on
Floodwater covers eastbound
Just beyond Nashville’s city limits, however, unincorporated parts of
Even within the city limits, many
“Nobody is insured for a flood. So nobody is getting taken care of for anything,” said
“I’m gutting my whole house,” Lane said. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster.”
Participation carries a range of benefits, said officials at local, state and federal levels of government. The program, some explained, is designed to encourage communities to develop in ways that lessen risks of flood damage over time.
“We need those municipalities to manage their floodplains properly. We can’t just say, ‘Let people build anywhere.’ Not without protection,” said Sturner.
The accompanying availability of flood insurance through the NFIP is cheaper than what the private market offers, others said.
He said private insurers can also take a “harder stance” on any history of losses at a given property and don’t have some consumer protections offered by the NFIP, such as caps that limit the annual increases of premiums.
Hope for change
State officials, meanwhile, issue annual invitations to holdouts like
“We’re seeing more frequent storms — these intense rainfall events that have big impacts on communities,” said
In
“I will not make a comment on it because it’s too complex,” said
Local officials said they are in the process of trying to secure a federal disaster declaration for areas affected by the flooding to pave the way for various forms of government aid.
And even if it’s not available to help with the toll of recent flooding, some officials and
“This might be an opportunity now to do that — to show the county that we really need to help these people out,” said Bierman, who has previously pushed for the county’s participation.
Meyer said he’s open to the possibility as well but added that the county would need to properly research the matter. For now, though, he’s glad the area didn’t get even more rain, as some forecasts had called for on the day of the flooding.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” he said. “We’re just happy we made it through.”
How much rain fell in
Based on MSD data (covering only
Flooding leaves
Treloar, a tiny burg in southern
Tornadoes touched down in
The
Prominent
Terry and
Heavy rains soak
Heavy rains on Tuesday forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents of
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