federal flood insurance News

FEMA Responds to Florida’s Flood Rate Request, Sort Of

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has responded to Florida’s request to review the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rates but it may not be as forthcoming and helpful as Florida officials had hoped. In a letter dated Dec. 29, …

Florida Commissioner McCarty Asks FEMA for NFIP Rate Data by Dec. 15

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin M. McCarty has followed through on his promise to State Senator Jeff Brandes to investigate the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) rating practices of Florida insureds. In an Oct. 2 letter to Craig Fugate, administrator of …

North Carolina Town to Challenge Federal Flood Maps

Officials in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., plan to challenge new federal flood plain maps in a move that could save some residents thousands of dollars in insurance premiums. The StarNews of Wilmington reports the town’s board of aldermen agreed Sept. 10 …

Beyond Katrina: Lessons in Mitigation, Insurance and Community

Among the lessons to be learned from Hurricane Katrina are that communities and all stakeholders should prioritize flooding as the greatest risk, devote more resources to preventive measures rather than post-event disaster relief, and address current infrastructure weaknesses, according to …

Florida Commissioner McCarty Says NFIP Rates May Be Unfairly Discriminatory

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said on Aug. 14 that the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) rates for Florida may be “unfairly discriminatory” and that his office will ask for the actuarial study, including data and models used to determine …

Florida’s Prepared Insurance Joins Write Your Own Flood Program

Prepared Insurance Company (PIC), a Florida property/casualty carrier, has been approved to participate in the Write Your Own Flood Program (WYO). The insurer is offering Florida consumers the ability to purchase flood and homeowners insurance through one carrier with one …

Reports Advise How to Make Flood Insurance Affordable

A new report suggests the federal flood insurance program may want to target mitigation grants to households with high premiums, urge homeowners to select higher deductibles, expand the educational role of insurance agents, and provide mitigation loans to help make …

Hope for Avoiding ‘Flood Insurance Nightmare’ Lies in Red River Levee Work

The threat of a flood insurance nightmare in Louisiana’s Rapides Parish and elsewhere was delayed, but not eliminated, by Congress last year. But the threat is slowly diminishing as work proceeds to fix deficiencies in the Red River levees to …

PIA, Floodbroker.com Offer Agents Flood Insurance Sales Tool

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) has formed a partnership with Floodbroker.com that allows agents to sell flood insurance. Through PIA’s exclusive partnership, PIA members’ clients and prospects will be able to learn about their flood risks and …

North Carolina Coastal Homeowners Weigh Self-Insuring for Floods

Bill Cherry has seen his share of storms buffet his house and his Breezeway Restaurant and Motel near Topsail Beach in North Carolina, a slip of a barrier island just over two blocks wide. But, with sharp increases in premiums …