National Flood Program Extended Until Dec. 18

Congress has again temporarily extended the federal flood insurance program, this time until Dec. 18, 2009.

The latest extension was approved by the House and Senate as part of an appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior.

Without the extension, the National Flood Insurance Program would have expired Oct. 31, which was itself the result of a previous temporary extension.

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies urged that a longer solution be found.

“We applaud Congress for ensuring the National Flood Insurance Program will remain in place and hope that it will enact a lengthier extension before the continuing resolution expires,” said Jimi Grande, senior vice president of federal and political affairs for NAMIC.

Insurance agents, too, have been frustrated by the temporary extensions and have urged Congress to address the needs of the program longer term, along with reforms that would hike coverage limits and make business interruption insurance an available option.