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We recently wrote that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a new pricing structure for its federal flood insurance program in an effort to improve the equitability of flood insurance. Disaster insurance and preparedness is a topic that is becoming an all too familiar topic as extreme weather events cause billions of dollars in […]
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced late last week a new pricing structure for its federal flood insurance program. The federal government has been subsidizing flood insurance for people in areas defined by the government as flood-prone — the new pricing takes into account the actual risk to people’s homes.
Why This Matters: The prior system was inequitable and FEMA says its new system will mean that low-income people with less valuable homes will pay only their fair share.
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The National Flood Insurance Program is revising its rates for flood coverage on April 1st, and to reflect current risks, and experts say they may need to quadruple. FEMA’s new risk rating system will use a model proposed by the First Street Foundation, which found that by 2050, insurance premiums on flood-risk homes would need to rise sevenfold to cover the costs of annual damage.
Why This Matters: The rising premiums create a conundrum for the Biden administration, which has promised to honor science in federal policymaking but has also pledged to address economic issues facing the working class.
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer The Biden administration is planning to swiftly reallocate $10 billion in the budget of the Federal Emergency Agency’s (FEMA) in order to build anti-disaster infrastructure. The move would be the largest grant program of its kind and would be used to fund preventative measures against climate change like seawalls, elevated housing, relocation programs, […]
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Contributing Writer Immediately following a record-breaking Hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is proposing massive cuts to federal disaster aid that would make it more difficult for states to qualify for federal disaster aid. The proposal, published Monday, would be one of the largest revisions of federal disaster policy […]
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The amount of rainfall and the number of severe storms that have hit the Southeastern U.S. are causing a lingering, stinking problem — mold. The State’s Sammy Fretwell reports that researchers who studied the explosion of mold that occurred in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago now see the same thing happening throughout South Carolina after five years of excessive rain and numerous hurricanes.
Why This Matters: Mold caused by one storm is awful, but when it is caused by repeated storms and lingering moisture under floors and in walls, there is no easy fix.
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