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Articles on Flood Insurance

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People wade through high water to evacuate a flooded home in LaPlace, La., after Hurricane Ida struck. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The 2021 hurricane season showed US isn’t prepared as climate-related disasters push people deeper into poverty

The most vulnerable communities are being pushed deeper into poverty with each climate-related disaster. Part of the problem is that government aid helps the wealthiest people most.
Flooding in La Platte and other cities in Nebraska have so far caused an estimated $1 billion in damages. Reuters/Drone Base

Why flood insurance needs an overhaul: 6 questions answered

The Trump administration has proposed a major revamp of the National Flood Insurance Program since its inception in 1968. Here’s why it needs fixing.
Households in rural and regional areas are more likely to be insured than those in cities, possibly because rural residents are more attuned to environmental conditions and the risks to property. Tasmania Police/AAP

Insurance is unaffordable for some, but it’s middle Australia that is underinsured

The differences between owners and the growing number of renters, and between rural and urban areas, point to explanations other than affordability for the one-in-two Australians who are underinsured.
A storm caused flooding in the CBD as it swept through Hobart. Patrick Gee/The Mercury. Used with permission

Lessons in resilience: what city planners can learn from Hobart’s floods

Managing flood risk is not just ‘good planning’; it requires commitment to resilient cities by land developers, politicians and communities. Effective response means learning from mistakes.
Relatively few homes hit by Harvey have flood insurance. Reuters/Carlo Allegri

How flood insurance works: 6 questions answered

The federal government created a program in 1968 to insure homes in the US from flooding, yet few of the houses hammered by Harvey’s record rainfall were covered.
Two people walk down a flooded section of Interstate 610 in Houston in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Americans who live far from coasts should also be worried about flooding

As Hurricane Harvey shows, flooding can happen wherever large storms stall and dumps lots of rain. A new study finds that development is increasing in flood zones inland, where people may not think they are at risk.
Hurricane Wilma in 2005 was the last major storm to rock Florida – and its insurance market. Carlos Barria/Reuters

When catastrophe strikes, who foots the bill?

Even though Hurricane Matthew has been downgraded to category 3, it’s expected to cause substantial damage to Florida and other states in the region. The question is, who pays.

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