In what may be a sign of the climate times, a Florida county has declared a local state of emergency after a weather event — even without hope of much assistance from the state or federal government.
The declaration by county commissioners in Citrus County, north of Tampa, came not because of a hurricane or tropical storm, but after excessive amounts of rainfall this year that have left roads and buildings flooded, according to officials at a Tuesday commission meeting.
The declaration only allows some residents without flood insurance to qualify for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, in order to make basic repairs. The county does not qualify for federal emergency assistance because the damage is not countywide, officials said.
“There’s simply nothing we can do,” county Commissioner Jeff Kinnard said, after dozens of angry residents pleaded for help at the meeting. “FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is not coming to our rescue. I know that’s not what you want to hear.”
The predicament reflects what climate and insurance experts have said is a new reality: Areas that were not often subject to excessive rain or flooding are now seeing it more frequently. Many residents are not in an established flood zone and do not carry flood insurance on their property.
And with FEMA’s new Risk Rating 2.0 set to take effect tomorrow, many homeowners may soon find the National Flood Insurance Program too pricey, officials said.
To add uncertainty to the picture, the NFIP is set to expire today unless Congress acts to renew it. If the program is not reauthorized, NFIP claims for existing policies would still be paid, but the agency could not sell any new policies or renew existing ones, federal officials have said.
And a potential shutdown by the federal government, perhaps as soon as tonight, could also disrupt implementation of FEMA’s flood-risk rating. Analysts with the Pew Charitable Trusts and federal officials have said the new rating system is designed to be more equitable, based on many more factors than simply a property’s proximity to a flood zone. About a fifth of NFIP policyholders would see a decrease in premiums under the new ratings, but millions more could see spikes in prices.
That has prompted members of Congress from Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and other coastal states to urge their colleagues to force FEMA to postpone implementation of the new rating system.
Citrus County officials did not say how many local property owners are without flood insurance, or how many may face higher premiums. But speakers at the commission meeting called the situation “heartbreaking” and “dire,” with some residents forced to consider abandoning their homes. The county, home to famous freshwater springs and manatee refuge areas, this year received more than 60 inches of rain, shattering a record that had stood since 1915. Like officials in several parts of Florida, changing climate events have left Citrus County searching for solutions. In this case, the county does not qualify for a state emergency declaration, which could have paved the way for millions of dollars in aid.
“There is really not a whole lot that the county can do,” said the county’s emergency operations director, Amanda Woodward.
The emergency declaration will at least allow county workers to assess the flood damage. To attain a local state of emergency, the governor must certify the declaration. For county residents to qualify for the 1% SBA loans, at least 25 homes without flood insurance in the county would have to have suffered at least a 40% loss, a county official explained.
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