Congress has a critical opportunity now to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. Here are some of the lessons we can learn from recent hurricanes and other flood events that underscore the need. Read more >
High waters surround homes and businesses in the small town of Bucksport, S.C. as rivers continue to rise and flooded areas expand as a result of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 24, 2018. Photo: US Army National Guard/Staff Sgt. Jorge Intriago
Hurricane Florence Lessons Underscore Need for the National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019
Shana Udvardy, Climate Resilience Analyst
June 13, 2019 11:09 AM EDT
Grimm-Cassidy Bill Seeks to Gut Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reforms
, Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy
February 25, 2014 6:01 PM EDT
In an extraordinary turnabout, House members seem set to abandon bedrock principles of fiscal conservatism by voting on a bill to undermine the Biggert-Waters flood insurance reforms. Those reforms would have put the highly-indebted National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in a more solvent position, benefiting taxpayers who have been footing the growing bill for costs of flooding. They would have also helped shine a light on the growing risks and costs of development along parts of our coasts threatened by sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding. Read more >
The Biggert-Waters Act: Fix It, Don’t Abandon It
Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy
January 29, 2014 12:14 PM EDT
As I mentioned in a previous blogpost, the Senate is gearing up to vote on delaying the reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) mandated by the Biggert-Waters Act. With rising sea levels increasing the risk of coastal flooding and the NFIP’s debt mounting (over $24 billion currently), it’s time for senators to find a sensible middle ground that protects both local communities and taxpayers. Read more >
How to Fix Flood Insurance: Delaying the Biggert-Waters Act is Not the Answer
Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy
January 15, 2014 12:36 PM EDT
The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which passed with broad bipartisan support in July 2012, requires the taxpayer-backed National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to set premiums that reflect true flood risk and will help put the program on a more financially secure footing. Now many of the same senators who voted to support these necessary and overdue reforms are set to gut them. Biggert-Waters is flawed but it can and should be fixed, not overturned or substantially delayed. Read more >
Lessons from Hurricane Sandy for Flood Risk and Flood Insurance
Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy
October 28, 2013 11:45 AM EDT
Hurricane Sandy caused record flooding along the coasts of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, much of it resulting from storm surge. Sea level rise means that these kinds of storm surges are now riding on elevated water levels so that their destructive power extends higher and farther inland. Coupled with growing population and development along our coasts, major storms are creating increased risk for coastal residents – and threatening the financial solvency of the taxpayer-backed National Flood Insurance Program. Read more >