Latest FEMA Headlines
All the headlines from our FEMA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Active Atlantic Hurricane Season Looms – as Odds Drop of El Niño Formation
Jun 9 2017 // Forecasters again lowered the odds of El Niño forming by year’s end, a scenario that may mean more Atlantic hurricanes at a time when federal agencies charged with predicting and responding to natural disasters lack...
Flood Program Reauthorization: Why Congress Must Act
Jun 8 2017 // As the clock ticks down toward expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the task ahead is clear. Congress must pass an on-time, multi-year reauthorization bill that simplifies the overly complicated NFIP,...
Here’s What the House Has in Mind for Revamping Flood Insurance Program
May 26 2017 // A much-anticipated House subcommittee proposal on flood insurance promises to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years beyond its September 30 expiration date. The proposal would introduce...
Idaho City Assessing Flood Risks Prior to Federal Maps Release
May 15 2017 // Boise, Idaho, officials have expressed concerns with federal maps that propose adding hundreds of acres to a flood plain in the city, which could increase the cost and difficulty of buying or developing nearby...
Storm Damage Assessors Rely on Waffle House’s 24-Hour Service Policy
Apr 28 2017 // The emphasis on 24-hour service at Waffle House — hurricane or shine — has earned the company a reputation among professional emergency managers, who make rough estimates of storm damage by looking to the local eatery....
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years
Apr 28 2017 // U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30,...
Idaho City Assessing Flood Risks Prior to Federal Maps Release
Apr 26 2017 // Boise, Idaho officials have expressed concerns with federal maps that propose adding hundreds of acres to a flood plain in the city, which could increase the cost and difficulty of buying or developing nearby property. The...
Many Still Reeling from NW Louisiana Flood a Year Later
Mar 14 2017 // Floods a year ago took everything from Vivian, La., resident Gwen Smith. “I lost my home completely,” she said. Before the flood hit on March 9, 2016, Smith had lived most of her adult life in the mobile home....
FEMA Disaster Deductible Could Survive Trump Deregulation Drive
Feb 3 2017 // Donald Trump has said he wants to roll back many of Barack Obama’s regulations linked to climate change but there may be one exception: a federal disaster proposal aimed at getting states to prepare for the more...
Coalition Urges Modernization of National Flood Insurance Program
Feb 1 2017 // A U.S. flood insurance program that is drowning in billions of dollars in debt can be modernized to bolster its finances while curbing the public’s exposure to flood risks, a national coalition said in a reform...
Mississippi Tornado Damaged At Least 1,100 Homes
Jan 25 2017 // A tornado that tore a 31-mile path across south Mississippi over the weekend killed four people and damaged or destroyed more than 1,100 homes, state officials said Monday, as the governor assured residents that federal...
National Flood Insurance Program Secures $1 Billion in Reinsurance for 2017; 25 Reinsurers Participate
Jan 3 2017 // For just the second time in its history, the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has reinsurance to help it weather major storms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which manages...
Council Bluffs, Iowa Races to Improve Levees in Advance of FEMA Deadline
Dec 19 2016 // Improvements to the Council Bluffs, Iowa, levee system are continuing as city officials hope to beat federal government action that could cost homeowners a boatload of cash in flood insurance. The city council approved the...
Top Florida Stories of 2016: Florida’s Evolving Flood Market
Dec 16 2016 // Before McCarty announced his decision to leave office, he initiated dialogue with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over the National Flood Insurance Program’s rate making. Citing the fact that the flood...
Q&A with FEMA’s Fugate: Capitalism, Socialism and Disaster Mitigation
Dec 13 2016 // In January, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate gave states a choice for dealing with climate change. Option A: Do nothing about the rising toll of extreme weather, and hope Congress’s...
Council Bluffs, Iowa Races to Improve Levees Before FEMA Deadline
Dec 12 2016 // Improvements to the Council Bluffs, Iowa, levee system continue step-by-step as city officials keep hoping it’s fast enough to beat federal government action that could cost homeowners a boatload of cash in flood...
FEMA Grants Extension of Louisiana Flood Insurance Claims Deadline
Dec 5 2016 // Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says federal authorities have granted his request for an extension of the filing deadline for those affected by August floods to submit a proof of loss claim. Edwards, in a statement, said...
FEMA Adds 4,400 Properties to High-Risk Flood Zones in Tennessee County
Dec 5 2016 // Thousands of property owners may have to purchase flood insurance for the first time as new flood maps go into effect next year in Davidson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency last month finalized revised flood...
FEMA Extends Aid Deadline for North Carolina Victims of Hurricane Matthew
Nov 22 2016 // Hurricane Matthew victims in North Carolina have more time to apply for federal disaster assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release that it has approved a 31-day extension for applications....
FEMA Adds 4,400 Properties to High-Risk Zones in Tennessee’s Davidson County
Nov 16 2016 // Thousands of property owners may have to purchase flood insurance for the first time as new flood maps go into effect next year in Davidson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency last month finalized revised flood...
