Latest FEMA Headlines

All the headlines from our FEMA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Indiana Homeowners Fear Flood Insurance Sticker Shock

Feb 21 2014 // Homeowner Wally Cantrell’s finished basement was destroyed in the June 2008 flood in Columbus, Ind., but his flood insurance policy helped cover a good bit of the repairs.Now, Cantrell wonders if he will soon face a...

West Virginia Denied FEMA Grant for Chemical Spill

Feb 14 2014 // Federal officials have denied West Virginia’s request for emergency grants to reimburse first responders, nonprofits and public agencies that assisted during last month’s chemical spill.FEMA said in a letter...

West, Texas Schools Receive $20M for Fertilizer Blast Recovery

Feb 13 2014 // A federal agency is granting $20 million to a rural Central Texas town to help rebuild two schools destroyed in last year’s deadly fertilizer plant explosion, town and federal officials said.The Federal Emergency...

Disaster Aid For Colorado Flooding Surpasses $267M

Feb 12 2014 // Since heavy rains brought flooding in September 2013, Colorado survivors have received more than $267 million in federal/state recovery assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.More than $219...

Flood Insurance Premium Hikes from New Maps Could Be Delayed Until 2015

Feb 10 2014 // Some flood insurance premiums required under a 2012 law now won’t be raised until the fall of 2015 at the earliest.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the $1 trillion bipartisan funding bill passed by...

Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps Released for 2 N.J. Counties

Feb 4 2014 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Monday released Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for New Jersey’s Middlesex and Monmouth Counties that reflect the latest refinements to the ongoing...

Senate Begins Amending Bill to Halt Flood Insurance Rate Increases

Jan 30 2014 // The Senate has begun adopting amendments to the bill (S.1926) that seeks to delay flood insurance premium increases called for under the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.The Senate bill would halt premium...

Why Obama Should Support Delaying Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Hikes: Opinion

Jan 28 2014 // The following is an opinion from Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. and the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, regarding the White House’s opposition to the Homeowner Flood Insurance...

Remapping, Subsidy Loss Raising North Dakota Flood Insurance Costs

Jan 17 2014 // Had Greg Larson, a realtor and riverside homeowner in Bismarck, N.D., and his family changed their flood insurance policy, their cost would have gone from $705 a year to $4,200.Increases in flood insurance rates are making...

Secret Benefactor Aiding Louisiana Parish in Gustav Claims Fight

Jan 14 2014 // A financial institution is paying lawyers $700 per hour to help Louisiana’s Livingston Parish fight the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denials of $60 million in claims for Hurricane Gustav-related...

Flood Maps Still Wrong, Oregon Homeowners Still Paying

Jan 13 2014 // Months after Carol Justice was wrongly told her home needs flood insurance, the Cornelius resident is still paying up – even though a surveyor has since determined her house is not in the flood zone.Justice is one of...

Flood Maps Still Wrong, Oregon Homeowners Still Paying

Jan 2 2014 // Months after Carol Justice was wrongly told her home needs flood insurance, the Cornelius resident is still paying up – even though a surveyor has since determined her house is not in the flood zone.Justice is one of...

Vermont FEMA Office Closing 2 Years After Irene

Dec 22 2013 // Vermont’s Federal Emergency Management Agency office closed its doors last Friday, Dec. 20, after more than two years of helping the state recover from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene, but the agency will...

Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Challenges FEMA’s New Flood Maps

Dec 20 2013 // Members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, led by Congressman Bill Keating, recently sent an open letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The lawmakers argued in their letter that when FEMA...

FEMA: 17 New Jersey Towns Recognized for Reducing Their Flood Hazard Risk

Dec 18 2013 // Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said 17 New Jersey municipalities are being recognized in two awards ceremonies this week for reducing their flood hazard risk through FEMA’s Community Rating System...

FEMA Grants Helping to Raise Flood-Prone R.I. Homes

Dec 17 2013 // The owners of eight flood-prone properties near Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, R.I., are using federal grant funds to raise their homes and businesses high enough to minimize any future damage. The Westerly Sun...

FEMA Rejects Major Disaster Declaration for Indiana

Dec 13 2013 // Gov. Mike Pence says the federal government has rejected Indiana’s request that Howard County be declared a major disaster area because of damage from last month’s tornadoes and severe storms. Pence said he has...

FEMA Addresses Common Misconceptions About Federal Disaster Assistance

Dec 11 2013 // Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently issued a press release to clear up some of the common myths about registering for federal disaster assistance.FEMA noted that in the aftermath of a disaster,...

FEMA Won’t Require Additional Flood Insurance for U. of Iowa

Dec 6 2013 // The University of Iowa says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not require the school to purchase additional flood insurance after all.UI vice president of finance and operations Doug True said the news “is...

Louisiana Joins Lawsuit to Block Flood Insurance Hike

Dec 2 2013 // Louisiana’s Department of Insurance has joined a lawsuit filed by Mississippi against the federal government to try to block rates from increasing Oct. 1 in the National Flood Insurance Program.Commissioner Jim...