Latest Flood Headlines
All the headlines from our Flood Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: Flood Program Premiums Do Not Adequately Reflect Flood Risk
Dec 9 2008 // Premiums charged by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are inadequate to cover the risk and the program should re-examine its methods for setting rates, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office...
Sacramento Urges Residents to Buy Flood Insurance
Dec 8 2008 // Sacramento officials are encouraging residents who live in a flood-prone neighborhood to buy flood insurance. New federal flood maps that take effect today designate the region known as Natomas as a hazard zone. That means...
Iowa City Proposes Tax to Help Pay for Flood Relief
Dec 8 2008 // A Cedar Rapids Iowa City Council member has proposed a 2 percent sales tax increase for two years to help pay for flood relief. Justin Shields this week urged his colleagues to back the emergency local option sales tax to...
Rain, Not Dam Malfunction, Caused Indiana Floods
Dec 4 2008 // A report shows that torrential rain, not a dam malfunction, caused the flooding in June that affected one of every seven structures in Columbus, Ind. A report from the U.S. Geological Survey summarized reasons for the...
Iowa Gets $125 Million in Federal Grants for Tornado, Flooding Recovery
Dec 2 2008 // Iowa lawmakers announced on Nov. 24 that the state will get $125 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for flood and tornado recovery efforts. Gov. Chet Culver said the money...
Lower Las Cruces Flood Rating Helps Homeowners
Dec 2 2008 // Las Cruces, N.M., homeowners should save money on insurance now that the city’s flood rating has improved because of its efforts to mitigate the potential for flooding. City administrators learned from the Federal...
Southern California Soaked but Stable in Storm
Dec 1 2008 // Wet and weary residents in areas scarred by Southern California wildfires were back in their homes for Thanksgiving after a day of rains brought evacuations and anxiety but none of the threatened flash floods or...
Heavy Rainfall in California Wildfire Zones Could Lead to Landslides, Flooding
Nov 26 2008 // As heavy rainfall is forecasted for Southern California, particularly in areas recently ravaged by destructive wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner advised all Californians to check their coverage and evaluate...
AIR Worldwide Releases UK Inland Flood Model
Nov 25 2008 // AIR Worldwide Corporation has released the AIR Inland Flood Model for Great Britain. “The new probabilistic model will help companies better manage on-and-off flood plain risk for properties in England, Wales, and...
Few Washingtonians Have Flood Insurance
Nov 20 2008 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is warning consumers of the dangers of flooding in his state, and encouraging them to consider flood insurance. Despite the images of damage caused by last winter’s...
North Carolinians to Review Watauga County Flood Insurance Maps
Nov 18 2008 // On Monday, Nov. 24, the residents and business community of Watauga County will be able to review and ask questions about preliminary copies of newly updated flood insurance rate maps for the county which drains into the...
Rain Floods Western Washington Rivers
Nov 14 2008 // Heavy rain swelled rivers across Western Washington, causing numerous road closures and prompting authorities to recommend evacuations in some areas. No injuries or serious property damage were reported from the wet...
Missouri Residents Question Accuracy of New Flood Maps
Nov 11 2008 // Plans to change the flood zone maps in Springfield, Mo. have several residents upset that they will have to buy flood insurance for property that they say has never flooded. More than 100 homeowners attended a meeting on...
Lacking Enough Insurance, Ike’s Aftermath Hurting Galveston Schools
Nov 11 2008 // Hurricane Ike, which swamped Galveston in September and forced hundreds of students off the island, is now drying up revenue sources for public, private and charter schools, some of which may close. State funding for...
University of Iowa to Restore Art Facility
Nov 7 2008 // Despite the risk that the Iowa River could overflow its banks again, the University of Iowa says it will restore a flood-damaged art building. Officials say that’s because the need for space outweighs the risk that...
$395 Million Approved for Flood, Tornado Recovery in Iowa
Nov 2 2008 // Iowa communities are getting help recovering from a series of natural disasters this year with nearly $395 million in state and federal funding. The money will go to at least 3,200 projects. The biggest chunk of it, about...
Midwestern States Continue to Receive Federal Disaster Aid
Oct 29 2008 // The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is giving monies to several Midwestern states in the aftermath of flooding earlier in the year. Missouri received $11 million to help recover from flooding damage...
Iowa Receives Additional $23 Million in Federal Disaster Aid
Oct 27 2008 // Iowa is set to receive another $23 million in federal money to repair flood damaged roads and bridges. The funds are part of $690 million being divvied up among 28 states by the U.S. Department of Transportation for...
RMS Estimates Ike Insured Losses Now in $13B to $21B Range
Oct 24 2008 // California-based Risk Management Solutions (RMS) updated its estimate for U.S. onshore and offshore insured losses from Hurricane Ike to $13 billion to $21 billion, of which $10 billion to – $15 billion is estimated...
$395 Million Approved for Flood, Tornado Recovery in Iowa
Oct 20 2008 // Iowa communities are getting help recovering from a series of natural disasters this year with nearly $395 million in state and federal funding. The money will go to at least 3,200 projects. The biggest chunk of it, about...