Amid Partisan Gridlock, Yet Another Short-Term Reprieve for
Flood Insurance ~
Amid Partisan Gridlock, Yet Another
Short-Term Reprieve for Flood Insurance~
Bogged down in partisan confrontation over taxes and spending,
the U.S. Congress in October nearly allowed the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) to lapse. But in a last-minute compromise,
lawmakers gave the program yet another in a long series of
short-term reprieves, extending funding through November 18th.
PropertyCasualty360 has this report (“
NFIP
Extended To Nov. 18; Real Work On Reforms Begins Now,” by
Arthur D. Postal): “Early in the week of Sept. 26, as the
House and Senate were scrambling to keep the government funded
while legislators were leaving Washington in observance of the
Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Senate approved two continuing
resolutions: one for one week, and one until Nov. 18. Later that
week, the House approved by unanimous consent the one-week
continuing resolution, which contained an NFIP extension through
Oct. 4. Most recently, on Oct. 4, with another deadline looming,
the House voted 352-66 on the Nov. 18 continuing resolution, which
includes a flood-program extension until that date.”
Last year, the NFIP went through a series of temporary shutdowns
as the Congress not only failed to pass long-term reforms, but was
unable even to accomplish short-term re-authorizations in time to
keep the program running. Shutdowns occurred in March (see
“
National
Flood Insurance Program expires, slowing down sales of properties
where flood policies are required,” by Rebecca Mowbray,
New Orleans Times-Picayune), and again on May 31 (see
“
Congress'
flood insurance lapse strands residents, home sales,” by
Laura Green,
Palm Beach Post). On September 23, Congress
passed a one-year extension of the program’s funding (see
“
Congress
backs 1-yr flood insure program extension,” by Kevin
Drawbaugh, Reuters). That’s the reauthorization that expired
last month, forcing Congress to pass a four-day extension covering
barely more than a weekend, and then the current one-month
extension.
Congressional leaders have promised to seek agreement on a
five-year re-authorization that would include reforms intended to
place the program on a more sound financial footing. Meanwhile,
however, lawmakers remain far apart on how to address the needs of
thousands of homeowners or renters whose houses were damaged or
destroyed in this summer’s storm flooding — many of
whom have no flood insurance coverage.
A power boat sits stranded in the yard of a ruined home in
Hickory Point, near Camp LeJeune, N.C., following Hurricane Irene's
five-foot storm surge. Below, a house sits on cribbing during work
to elevate the home as a precaution against future flooding.
Funding for FEMA's disaster recovery efforts and efforts to revamp
the nation's flood insurance program have bogged down in political
bickering in Washington. Photos by Marilee Caliendo/FEMA