From the Congressional Research Service, this 3-page report: What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)Lapses?

From Emergency Management magazine, this update on changes to the National Flood Insurance Program

Update on Friday, Nov. 30th:  Congress authorized NFIP for one week. What they will decide next week is a big question mark. What a useless bunch!!!!

——————————————————————————————-

National Flood Insurance Program Set to Expire Friday

The flood insurance program was separated from the larger government spending bill earlier this year as part of a deal to keep it alive through hurricane season while leaders in Washington fought over other, more partisan parts of the appropriations bill.

Update on Nov. 30: Some details about the program, from the NMHA and the American Bar Association.

See this USAtoday article, written by two former FEMA Administrators: National Flood Insurance Program is a deluge of damaging policy. Congress must rebuild it. Right now, our country is using yesterday’s policies and standards to pay for today’s floods with tomorrow’s money. It can’t be fixed with more debt.

What does it take to get Congressional action?  Apparently not even a Cat 5 hurricane will do it! See this article from Bloomberg News: Hurricanes Have Failed to Spur Flood Insurance Reform Bill. two key points:

• Taxpayers remain on the hook as Hurricane Florence bears down
• Reforms stall on program that’s more than $20 billion in debt

• This assessment from Scientific American: National Flood Insurance Is Underwater Because of Outdated Science. The FEMA program will continue to be financially unviable until it uses the latest research.
• Senate passes National Flood Insurance Program extension hours before it expires, But the extension only lasts 4 months, the program is $20B in debt, and lawmakers delayed major reforms needed to keep it solvent in the long-term.

Sure wish we had a Congress with a sense of responsibility and a long-term outlook!!!!

A serious lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program is about to happen. From the Scientific American, see: As Hurricane Season Ramps Up, Flood Insurance Program Set to Expire. Efforts in Congress to reform the program have stalled, leaving property owners vulnerable

From the Union of concerned Scientists: New FEMA Study Wisely Details Ways to Make Flood Insurance Affordable. Here is the direct link to the 111-page report titled An Affordability Framework for the NFIP.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a report today detailing how Congress can modify the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) making insurance more affordable for low-income households and limiting their future risk. Some of the possible policy options include: sharing premium costs with FEMA, assisting those already spending significantly on other housing expenses, and providing grants or loans for mitigation actions that reduce flood risk.

From the NYTimes: A Broke, and Broken, Flood Insurance Program. Now, an unusual coalition of insurers, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives is seeking major changes in the federal plan as a deadline approaches.