Latest FEMA Headlines

All the headlines from our FEMA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Why Obama Should Support Delaying Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Hikes: Opinion

Jan 28 2014 // The following is an opinion from Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. and the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, regarding the White House’s opposition to the Homeowner Flood Insurance...

Remapping, Subsidy Loss Raising North Dakota Flood Insurance Costs

Jan 17 2014 // Had Greg Larson, a realtor and riverside homeowner in Bismarck, N.D., and his family changed their flood insurance policy, their cost would have gone from $705 a year to $4,200. Increases in flood insurance rates are...

Secret Benefactor Aiding Louisiana Parish in Gustav Claims Fight

Jan 14 2014 // A financial institution is paying lawyers $700 per hour to help Louisiana’s Livingston Parish fight the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denials of $60 million in claims for Hurricane Gustav-related...

Flood Maps Still Wrong, Oregon Homeowners Still Paying

Jan 13 2014 // Months after Carol Justice was wrongly told her home needs flood insurance, the Cornelius resident is still paying up – even though a surveyor has since determined her house is not in the flood zone. Justice is one of...

Flood Maps Still Wrong, Oregon Homeowners Still Paying

Jan 2 2014 // Months after Carol Justice was wrongly told her home needs flood insurance, the Cornelius resident is still paying up – even though a surveyor has since determined her house is not in the flood zone. Justice is one of...

Vermont FEMA Office Closing 2 Years After Irene

Dec 22 2013 // Vermont’s Federal Emergency Management Agency office closed its doors last Friday, Dec. 20, after more than two years of helping the state recover from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene, but the agency will...

Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Challenges FEMA’s New Flood Maps

Dec 20 2013 // Members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, led by Congressman Bill Keating, recently sent an open letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The lawmakers argued in their letter that when FEMA...

FEMA: 17 New Jersey Towns Recognized for Reducing Their Flood Hazard Risk

Dec 18 2013 // Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said 17 New Jersey municipalities are being recognized in two awards ceremonies this week for reducing their flood hazard risk through FEMA’s Community Rating System...

FEMA Grants Helping to Raise Flood-Prone R.I. Homes

Dec 17 2013 // The owners of eight flood-prone properties near Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, R.I., are using federal grant funds to raise their homes and businesses high enough to minimize any future damage. The Westerly Sun...

FEMA Rejects Major Disaster Declaration for Indiana

Dec 13 2013 // Gov. Mike Pence says the federal government has rejected Indiana’s request that Howard County be declared a major disaster area because of damage from last month’s tornadoes and severe storms. Pence said he has...

FEMA Addresses Common Misconceptions About Federal Disaster Assistance

Dec 11 2013 // Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently issued a press release to clear up some of the common myths about registering for federal disaster assistance. FEMA noted that in the aftermath of a disaster,...

FEMA Won’t Require Additional Flood Insurance for U. of Iowa

Dec 6 2013 // The University of Iowa says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not require the school to purchase additional flood insurance after all. UI vice president of finance and operations Doug True said the news...

Louisiana Joins Lawsuit to Block Flood Insurance Hike

Dec 2 2013 // Louisiana’s Department of Insurance has joined a lawsuit filed by Mississippi against the federal government to try to block rates from increasing Oct. 1 in the National Flood Insurance Program. Commissioner Jim...

FEMA Fights Mississippi Suit Against Flood Insurance Hikes

Dec 2 2013 // The federal government is urging a federal court to dismiss a Mississippi lawsuit seeking to halt flood insurance rate hikes until an affordability study is completed. In arguing for the suit dismissal, the Federal...

FEMA: No Extension for Filing Sandy Flood Insurance Suits

Dec 2 2013 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it cannot extend the deadline for Superstorm Sandy victims who may want to file lawsuits challenging a denial or disallowance of all or part of their federal flood...

Concerns Raised Over FEMA Flood Maps in Maine

Dec 1 2013 // Maine communities are criticizing new maps proposed by the federal government that show future flooding risks near the state’s coast that could impact what kind of insurance property owners must buy. The Flood...

Insurance Chief Asks FEMA to Waive Flood Coverage Rule for U Iowa

Nov 27 2013 // Iowa’s top insurance regulator is backing the University of Iowa in a dispute with the federal government over how much insurance the campus must carry after rebuilding from the 2008 flood. Insurance Commissioner...

FEMA Says No Deadline Extension for Filing Sandy Flood Insurance Suits

Nov 25 2013 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it cannot extend the deadline for Superstorm Sandy victims who may want to file lawsuits challenging a denial or disallowance of all or part of their federal flood...

FEMA Seeks Dismissal of Mississippi Suit to Block Flood Insurance Rate Hikes

Nov 20 2013 // The federal government is urging a federal court to dismiss a Mississippi lawsuit seeking to halt flood insurance rate hikes until an affordability study is completed. In arguing for the suit dismissal, the Federal...

Mass. AG Files Federal Brief Urging Court Action on Flood Insurance

Nov 18 2013 // In support of a Mississippi lawsuit that alleges the new FEMA flood insurance rates are arbitrary and unlawful, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed an amicus brief in federal court arguing that FEMA...