On July 30, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred off of Russia’s Eastern Kamchatka coast, subsequently triggering tsunami warnings in, among other places, Japan and Hawaii. Some have postulated that rising sea levels could...more
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced it will allow National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums to be paid on an installment basis. The final rule implements an installment payment option that was...more
Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (the "NFIP") to help make flood insurance more affordable in areas prone to flood damage. FEMA oversees the program and writes the terms of the Standard Flood Insurance...more
As we enter the last quarter of a year that saw historic flooding across the country, including most recently in New York City, it is a good time to review the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and highlight a few...more
New York home sellers now must disclose information about flood risk, flood history and flood insurance to potential buyers under legislation recently signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, further amending the requirements of the...more
The new year brought a series of ferocious storms that ravaged the California coast for weeks. By mid-January, this so-called “atmospheric river” caused at least eight million Californians to be under flood watch as wind and...more
In the face of winter—and all the wet weather that comes with it—FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program would like everyone to understand the risks of flooding. Flooding has occurred across many parts of the country (yes,...more
Did you know that a residential structure is three times as likely to experience a flood than a fire over the 30-year life of a mortgage? In fact, flooding is the most common type of natural disaster in the United States and...more
For the first time in more than 20 years, FEMA has announced plans to make changes to its Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP). Under the proposal, FEMA would introduce a new Homeowner Flood Form, to be published at 44...more
Congress has reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through February 18, 2022. Prior to this most recent temporary reauthorization, the NFIP had been set to expire on December 3, 2021. Since 2017, there...more
Hurricane Ida once again exposed our nation’s severe vulnerability to natural disasters. One-hundred-year storms are now pummeling us on what seems to be an annual basis. The breadth of Ida’s impact was unique, however,...more
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Farm Credit Administration, and the National...more
On April 1, 2021, FEMA released its highly anticipated flood insurance rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action. FEMA first announced “Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action” in March 2019 as an effort to improve...more
On April 1, 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released an official announcement (Release Number HQ-21-079) and Memorandum for Write Your Own (WYO) Principal Coordinators and the National Flood Insurance...more
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP offers insurance coverage for physical losses to buildings and/or contents caused by a flood. Over the years,...more
June 1 marked the start of hurricane season, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Atlantic hurricane season will be a busy one. NOAA predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season,...more
Most people would not associate flood insurance with the protection of endangered species. But over the past decade, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been the target of multiple lawsuits alleging that the...more
President Trump recently declared the flooding throughout the Gulf Coast a National Emergency and pledged federal resources, including FEMA, to assist with the recovery efforts. All the while, one of the linchpins in...more
Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (the "NFIP") to help make flood insurance more affordable in higher-risk areas. FEMA oversees the program and writes the terms of the Standard Flood Insurance Policy...more
As previously reported, in early December 2018 Congress passed another short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program that was scheduled to expire on December 21, 2018. ...more
Following criticism from industry groups and members of Congress, FEMA has retreated from a December 27 announcement that it would stop issuing new flood policies and renewals during the ongoing partial shutdown of the...more
On October 26, 2017, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 2266, a disaster relief bill. Pursuant to section 308 of the bill, the Department of the Treasury will forgive $16 billion in debt owed by FEMA under the National Flood...more
Bill Deron bought a 100-acre tract next to a creek outside the City of Houston. Deron planned to build a subdivision where some of the homes abut a creek. The other homes would sit about 15 feet higher than the creekside...more
On September 14, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System announced the execution of a settlement with a state bank concerning alleged violations of the National Flood Insurance Act (“NFIA”), 42 U.S.C. §...more
On September 8th, just days after Hurricane Harvey decimated the Houston metropolitan area, and while many Florida residents were evacuating as Hurricane Irma approached, President Trump signed into law the Continuing...more