NJ's 9th district delegation wants increased NFIP subsidies

Upset with and appalled by the federal government’s slow response to Superstorm Sandy and the inconsistency of national assistance provided to its victims in comparison with Hurricane Katrina, state Sen. Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove (R-9th) are urging Congress and President Barack Obama to increase subsidies for premiums paid for flood insurance via the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program.

Photo via Google
NJ's 9th district delegation is urging the federal
government to increase subsidies for premiums
paid for flood insurance through FEMA's NFIP.

Through the introduction of a legislative concurrent resolution (ACR-181), Connors, Rumpf and Gove have asked that the federal government present suitable aid to Sandy’s victims who have been negatively impacted by FEMA’s flood map policies.

“It is extremely disappointing that, just as residents are finally feeling some sense of normality in their lives, they now find themselves being subjected to harsh FEMA regulations that could ultimately prove so costly that many homeowners will no longer be able to afford to live in their homes,” the statement said.

“Setting aside for a moment that the federal government waited months to provide an aid package to our area, when action was taken only 10 days following Katrina, residents attempting to rebuild following Super Storm Sandy must do so under different standards that are more complicated and expensive compared to those in place with previous similar disasters,” it continued.

The resolution points at the government-mandated Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. Riddled with more-stringent enactments, it extended the NFIP through 2017.

The letter also reminded its audience that the state’s taxpayer dollars have been used to provide aid to other areas in the country that have been afflicted by natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes. It reinforced the severity of Superstorm Sandy, which has been referred to as “an event that only occurs once in a one hundred year span.”

“Consistent with core American values, New Jersey has always been there as a generous and caring neighbor when other parts of our country were in need following devastating events,” the letter noted. “Now, in the rare circumstance when New Jersey needs assistance, the federal government wants to operate under a different set of rules that have the detrimental effect of substantially increasing the cost of living for state residents struggling to rebuild seeing their communities and homes devastated by an unprecedented Super Storm.”

The correspondence continued to press for homeowners’ premiums to be based on the regulations that were in place when their homes were first built.

This article was published in The SandPaper.