U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., will push bipartisan legislation to make flood insurance more affordable. The legislation comes right as the short-term flood insurance extension is set to expire in December.
The National Flood Insurance Program provides property owners with affordable insurance through the federal government, but Gillibrand says the program suffers from a broken claims process and needs constant short-term extensions because it operates at a loss.
Senator Gillibrand has co-sponsored the legislation with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La. The legislation reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program for ten years and reforms the broken claims process.
Gillibrand says the need to fix the program is urgent.
“Here on Long Island, we know the trauma associated with a hurricane, we experienced hurricane and Superstorm Sandy. But we also know that while even the most powerful storms eventually calm down, sometimes the recovery and clean up after the storm can be just as challenging…Congress desperately needs to reform our broken National Flood Insurance Program. The status quo is unacceptable.”
The bill would also increase funding to make flooding data more accurate to prepare for future storms.
More than 182,000 households in New York rely on the program, with more than 84,000 in Long Island alone.