National Flood Insurance Program
[2] The program is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods.
"[9] FEMA explains regulatory floodplains in some places including hills as "critical determinations are made by evaluating your community’s rainfall and river flow data, topography, wind velocity, tidal surge, flood control measures, building development (existing and planned) and community maps.
The SFHAs and other risk premium zones applicable to each participating community are depicted on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
A former Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, he also serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for FEMA's Federal Insurance and Mitigation (FIMA) division.
The CBRA enacted a set of maps depicting the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) in which federal flood insurance is unavailable for new or significantly improved structures.
These changes included removing discounts to many policies which were being sold below actual actuarial risk targets and eliminating "grandfathering" of older rates.
[20][22][23] The National Flood Insurance Program was $24 billion in debt at the beginning of 2014 as a result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Sandy.
The passage of the HFIAA described above has concerned insurance and environmental observers that the delay in implementation of actuarial rates will leave taxpayers exposed to additional losses.
[21] Insufficient map topographic detail or accuracy can result in the unwarranted determination of Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
A Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) and Conditional Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (CLOMR-F) are strongly advised as a mechanism to obtain FEMA feedback on the project before site changes are made, especially in light of the increasing attention on the nexus between the NFIP and the Endangered Species Act.
Consequently, the water is at a higher stage as it flows past the construction causing backwater to flood a larger area upstream.
[32]: 2 FEMA's computer model image shown here "represents the percent chance of flooding at least one time during a 30-year period for a given cell, or location, within the mapped floodplain".
As soon as practicable, but not later than six months after the date such information becomes available, a community shall notify the Administrator of the changes by submitting technical or scientific data in accordance with this part.
[36] The U.S. Congress finds annual flood losses are "increasing at an alarming rate" and forms of Federal assistance "are often determining factors in the utilization of land and the location and construction of public and of private industrial, commercial, and residential facilities".
[49] Flooding can damage underground storage tanks (USTs) resulting in leaks of petroleum that contaminate soil, surface water, and groundwater.
[63]: 1 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) identifies themselves as the Federal government's largest water resources development and management agency.
[64] USACE says their regulatory program after 1968 evolved to balance the national concerns for both the protection and utilization of important resources by public interest review.
320.4(l)(2) states: In accordance with the requirements of Executive Order 11988, district engineers, as part of their public interest review, should avoid to the extent practicable, long and short term significant adverse impacts associated with the occupancy and modification of floodplains, as well as the direct and indirect support of floodplain development whenever there is a practicable alternative.
For those activities which in the public interest must occur in or impact upon floodplains, the district engineer shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that the impacts of potential flooding on human health, safety, and welfare are minimized, the risks of flood losses are minimized, and, whenever practicable the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains are restored and preserved.U.S.
Today, owners of property in flood plains frequently receive disaster aid and payment for insured losses, which in many ways negates the original intent of the NFIP.
Consequently, these policy decisions have escalated losses stemming from floods in recent years, both in terms of property and life.
Some factors contributing to increased demand for aid are:[citation needed] Some critics want the NFIP restricted to primary residences, excluding secondary vacation homes and investment properties.
According to critics of the program, the government's subsidized insurance plan "encouraged building, and rebuilding, in vulnerable coastal areas and floodplains.
"[68] Stephen Ellis, of the group Taxpayers for Common Sense, points to "properties that flooded 17 or 18 times that were still covered under the federal insurance program" without premiums going up.
[68] Critics say this program is underperforming because it is starved for funding compared to disaster response and recovery, and the process of applying for a buyout is unreasonably slow.
[72][73] A peer review study found climate change since 1900 may have increased the probability of extreme precipitation events like the August 2016 flooding in south Louisiana.
[75] In January 2021, a petition was filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Association of State Floodplain Managers requesting updates informed by climate change to the NFIP.
[76] This article incorporates public domain material from judicial opinions or other documents created by the federal judiciary of the United States.
