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
If you don’t recall, NAFSMA is the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and I am attending NAFSMA’s 46th annual conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado....more
It’s “what?” you might ask. NAFSMA, the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, was formed 46 years ago as a place where public agencies in the flood and stormwater space could come together, learn...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
I had the opportunity this week to attend a National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Mentoring Session on the Future [of] Flood Risk Data. This session, offered by NAFSMA in partnership with...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
After hitting the shores of Louisiana with winds of up to 172mph in late August, Hurricane Ida’s remnants barreled up to the northeastern United States, leaving waves of destruction in its wake. The deluge of rain—more than...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
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
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 November 23, 2018, the United States government released Volume II of its Fourth National Climate Assessment. The report assesses the effects of the expected rise in sea levels resulting from global climate change,...more
A new short-term extension through December 21 leaves the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in limbo as Congress grapples with a lengthy to-do list in advance of the holidays. NFIP, the biggest source of flood coverage...more
Following record-setting levels of rainfall in the Carolinas from Hurricane Florence, businesses both in and outside of affected areas will likely be reviewing their flood coverage to assess how it will respond to adverse...more
When it comes to how our communities address flood risk and protect populations and economies from flooding, no one government agency is in charge. Instead, there are multiple agencies at the federal, state, and local levels,...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 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
Until very recently, the scarcity of water and the decline in oil prices in California prompted the joke that oil was being used as fracking fluid to get water out of the ground. In the last week, however, so much rain has...more