federal flood insurance News

Penn. Regulators Urge Consumers to Consider Buying Flood Insurance

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department is encouraging homeowners to consider buying flood insurance to help protect against potential spring floods. Winter ice and snow increases the chance of spring flooding, Pennsylvania regulators warned. Further, Pennsylvania is one of the most flood-prone …

Mainers Urged to Consider Flood Insurance

State officials are urging Mainers to consider buying flood insurance if their home or business is located close to a body of water. The Maine Floodplain Management Program says standard home- and business-owners’ insurance policies do not cover flood-related damages. …

FEMA: $2.7B Paid Out in New Jersey Flood Insurance Claims Post-Sandy

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has made $2.7 billion in flood insurance payments to New Jersey claimants since Superstorm Sandy hit the state last October.The agency also announced Tuesday that it has approved $367.3 million overall in grants …

Legislators Propose Stretching Out NFIP Rate Hike Timeline to Assist Sandy Victims

A group of U.S. representatives from New York is proposing a bill that would stretch out the National Flood Insurance Program’s premium increase timeline. On Monday, U.S. Reps. Michael G. Grimm (R-N.Y.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), Eliot …

Statistics on Insurers Handling Sandy Flood Claims

The 15 insurers participating in the National Flood Insurance Program that are handling at least 1,000 claims related to Sandy, the progress they have made in closing claims, and the money they have paid out to date: Company Claims Percent …

FEMA Data Suggests Some Insurers Handling NFIP Claims Faster Than Others

Up and down the Atlantic coast, people are telling horror stories about how long it has taken to get an insurance check for flood damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Nearly 40 percent are still waiting for the final settlements they …

N.J. Congressional Delegation Expresses Concern Over NFIP Claims

On Tuesday Feb. 12, New Jersey’s Congressional delegation sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate, expressing their concern over what the delegation described as “the backlog of claims” in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). …

Insurer Reports Sandy Flood Claims Resolving Quickly

A bulletin by the National Flood Insurance Program helped spur quicker processing of Sandy flood-related claims. Prior to the bulletin, claims were adjusted according to the policy and guidelines established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to Jeff …

N.J. Gov. Christie Says Fed Flood Insurance Program Is a ‘Disgrace’

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday the National Flood Insurance Program’s handling of claims in New Jersey has been “a disgrace,” complaining that the program has been far too slow to resolve claims from Superstorm Sandy, with 70 percent …

Superstorm Sandy Challenges Definition of Basement in New Jersey

Irene Sobolov believes the first floor of her house in Hoboken, N.J., is just that. The federal government and her insurance company say it’s a basement. The semantics, Sobolov has learned, are very expensive. Sobolov and others whose lower-level apartments …