Natural Flood Insurance Act Helps Protect Against Disaster

(FEMA) - Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA’s mission for 37 years is to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and to recover disasters with a vision of “A Nation Prepared”. To rescue and attend all victims, suppress any secondary fires that might have resulted in, secure police the disaster area, and begin the process of restoring order. FEMA also coordinates the federal role is preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of responding to, and recovering all domestic disasters, whether natural or manmade including the acts of terror. In 1803 The Congressional Act was passed; the act was intended after the first piece of disaster happened, which would be, the New Hampshire FIre of 1803. FEMA provided assistance

Often, the government responds to natural disasters with thorough preparation and planning. The federal, state, and local levels of government do this in an effort to help reduce injury and property damage as well as ensure the overall safety of the general population. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season saw the costliest and one of the deadliest storms in United States history. This storm was Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina displaced of an estimated 645,000 Louisiana citizens (Cepeda, Valdez, Kaplan, & Hill, 2010). This paper will examine…

555). I have noted that regular assessments and monetarization to policies and regulations is crucial for the implementations to work to their full potential. I have explained how the Love Canal is also classified as a top man-made disaster and with regular toxin monitoring and some assessments to policies, the area is no longer harmful to nearby residents or schools. Though Hurricane Katrina was a major disaster and impacted poor African American’s the hardest, the Corps did learn from the disaster and conducted a project that involved fixing more than half the system of levees, canals, and floodwalls. I was very pleased to learn that the Corps is continuing to monitor the waterway system and even published an updated map “showing block-by-block where flooding would likely occur if a 100-year hurricane were to strike” Layzer pg. 555). Hurricane Katrina has been one of the most expensive disasters ever recorded. However, the extent of the damages to the city of New Orleans could have been minimized with regular monetarization and assessment of the waterway system of the Mississippi River, specifically the levee system. A simple check up on policies or regulations could be matter of life or death

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is responsible for coordinating the government’s role in preparation, prevention, response and recovery from domestic disaster, whether they be natural or man-made. FEMA.gov lists 1849 total disasters declared since 1953, with an average of 32 each year (13). This particular agency has generated a lot of praise and but just as much criticism. Over the course of FEMA’s history, there are many lessons to be learned and FEMA is always looking for ways to be more effective. This paper will examine the history of FEMA, evaluate its performance over the years and pinpoint lessons to be learned and actions to be taken.

For the past 35 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, commonly known as FEMA, has been dedicated to preparing, protecting, responding and serving the American people following major disasters and crisis. Effective on April 1, 1979 under President Jimmy Carter’s administration and funded through federal funding, FEMA has been committed to preparing, protecting, responding and assisting in recovery efforts in the state as well as the local government during crisis and disasters. Similarly to any agency, FEMA has faced many challenges when providing funding to victims and survivors of disasters. Critics have criticized FEMA in their response to disasters.

Gao. (2015). “Flood Insurance: Status of FEMA's Implementation of the Biggert-Waters Act, as Amended.” http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-178.

There has been a great development in the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responds to natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and wildfires in California are three major disasters that required a large FEMA response and recovery effort. These three natural disasters stressed the resources and abilities FEMA has in their arsenal. As any good organization does, FEMA learned from their experiences and mistakes in order to handle the next challenge they have to face accordingly. Hurricane Katrina affected over 15 million people, caused $81 billion in property damages, and 90,000 square miles (11 Facts About Hurricane Katrina). There was much controversy over the response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal government was involved in the planning processes, and has financed up to 75% of the recovery efforts (FEMA, 2014). Residents, homeowners, small businesses, nonprofits, and renters were offered low interest loans up to $ 200, 000 from the Small Business Administration (SBA) as it was planned to ensure business continuity and recovery (Jill, 2014). Equipment was provided in place of lifelines, and the reparation of these utilities took place as the officials and those involved in the disaster recovery planned the processes (Doyle, 2014). The coordination of the recovery efforts for housing, the environment, and the infrastructure followed the scheme as it was planned (Fazio, 2014). Willingness, communication, implication, coordination, and resources fullness were some of the strengths of the long-term

The Hurricane Katrina disaster highly challenged the operations of FEMA thereby leading to great changes in the agency. The Storm that is ranked as the third most intense U.S. landfalling intense caught the FEMA and at large the Department of Homeland Security unprepared thereby leading to severe losses. The hurricane claimed more than 1200 individuals and a total property of around $108 billion, of which could have minimized if FEMA could have carried out its operations effectively (Bea, 2006).

Based upon the research results obtained regarding policy issues of how funding of grants is obtained and the policy processes that are in place. There are areas of these said policies that are being reformed after going through a process called, lessons learned. These lessons are learned from prior disasters/incidents through a hazard mitigation process that is always going on before, during, and after an incident. In past incidents some policies are not existent and need to be produced through the use of policy tools from the support of the private sector and government agencies collaborates with one another to build a new policy such as FEMA grants for use by state and local governments. The grant funding process is important to the

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the 21st Century Flood Reform Act and to provide a recommendation on whether the Senate should vote for or against it. In order to provide an informed recommendation, this paper will first present background information on the 21st Century Flood Reform Act and explain what it proposes. Following the background information, this paper will analyze arguments both in support and in opposition of the 21st Century Flood Reform Act. To conclude, this paper will make a recommendation, based on the analysis, on how the Senate should vote for the 21st Century Flood Reform Act.

For 35 years, FEMA 's mission remains: to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of "A Nation Prepared.” FEMA can trace its origins to the Congressional Act of 1803. FEMA coordinates the federal government 's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror."4 “President Carter 's 1979 executive order 12127 merged many of the separate disaster-related responsibilities into the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”51 From this executive order, FEMA absorbed The Federal Insurance Administration, The

During this time, a noteworthy, “significant piece of emergency management legislation was passed by Congress” (FEMA.gov). It was the Flood Control Act of 1934. This Act gave U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the ability to plan and construct flood control projects.

During the year of 2011, a disastrous and devastating EF5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Overall, there was destruction to more than 7,000 structural buildings and home. The EF5 tornado killed about 162 individuals. The projected destruction to buildings that were covered under insurance goes beyond one billion dollars, which causes it to be the greatest insurance disbursement within Missouri history. Instantaneous expenses would consist of deaths of individual and the loss of property or destruction. Household incomes are capable of becoming strained and government funding could be unavailable with the efforts of rebuilding and renovation. Once a natural disaster strikes the replacement assets could perhaps be more productive compared to original capital, which could result in a boosted economic development.

Flood Re is a joint insurance industry and government sponsored scheme which is the first of its kind in the entire world, it will become effective on 4th April 2016 with the purpose of enabling those homeowners with households in areas at high risk of flooding to afford insurance. It is not a direct product which can be purchased by consumers, it can be described as more of a behind the scenes third party which collaborates with current insurers. Flood Re will be a reinsurance company for current insurers to insure themselves against losses caused by flooding, however it will be funded by existing insurers.