The house has flooded 15 times since the present owners bought it in 1991. However, the original goal of NFIP has been ignored and perverted. Sensitive floodplain ecosystems have been developed as the number of households in floodhazard areas nationwide has increased 40 percent since the creation of the program. Limited reforms to NFIP were enacted in 1994. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, overall premium income is not sufficient to meet future expected flood losses.
NFIP regulations put both residents and taxpayers at unnecessary risk.
The degree of flood fringe development allowed by NFIP regulations raises floods to levels that can damage even structures built above the 100 year floodplain. Claims on repetitively flood-damaged structures are unnecessarily costly. Estimates indicate that 2 percent of policies account for 25 to 50 percent of claims. Floodplain development, which is encouraged by the program, causes pollution and degrades sensitive and vital ecosystems. Return to Green Scissors '98 table of Contents.