Areas with Flood Policy Sales Potential

The GAO compared the number of NFIP policies in a given area as of September 2006, with the total number of county flood declarations from January 1980 to June 2008, cumulative flood claims payments from January 1978 to April 2008, and population as of 2004 for counties and 2005 for states. Among other things, the GAO found:

• The five combined states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin, when compared to Collier County, Fla., had more county flood disaster declarations (2,092 versus 12), significantly more flood claims payments ($704.6 million versus $12.5 million), and a much larger population (28.9 million versus 297,000), but a similar number of NFIP policies (80,572 versus 85,246).
• The four combined states of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota, when compared to Oregon, had more county flood disaster declarations (1,346 versus 124) and three times more in flood claims payments ($244.8 million versus $76.7 million), but a similar number of policies (30,683 versus 29,780) for a much larger population (6 million versus 3.6 million).
• Iowa, when compared to New Mexico, had almost 10 times more county flood disaster declarations (558 versus 56), and about eight times more in flood claims payments ($65.9 million versus $8 million) but almost 30 percent fewer policies (10,185 versus 14,455). Iowa’s population was larger than New Mexico’s (2.9 million versus 2 million).
• 66 counties across the nation had flood disaster declarations but no communities that had joined NFIP, including: Clay County, Ala., (population 14,092) – seven flood declarations; San Francisco County, Calif. (744,230) – three flood declarations; Henry County, Iowa (20,258) – six flood declarations; Winneshiek County, Iowa (21,188) – seven flood declarations; Adair County, Ky. (17,575) – six flood declarations; and Dallas County, Mo. (16,328) – eight flood declarations.
• 14 counties with populations of more than 100,000 had received one or more flood declarations but had very few NFIP policies. Those included: Potter County, Texas (118,000) – three flood disaster declarations but only six policies; Bibb County, Ga. (155,000) – four flood disaster declarations but only 13 policies; and Carroll County, Ga. (102,000) – six flood disaster declarations but only 83 policies.