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Ralph Luther |
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| COMSUBBBS Posts: 6180 Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: "stuff" happens It's hard to believe how some people function from day to day. Midwest flood victims feel misled by feds Published: 6/19/08, 6:25 PM EDT By TAMMY WEBBER and MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER GULFPORT, Ill. (AP) - Juli Parks didn't worry when water began creeping up the levee that shields this town of about 750 from the Mississippi River - not even when volunteers began piling on sandbags. After all, local officials had assured townspeople in 1999 that the levee was sturdy enough to withstand a historic flood, and FEMA had agreed. In fact, some relieved homeowners dropped their flood insurance, and others applied for permits to build new houses and businesses. Then on Tuesday, the worst happened: The levee burst and Gulfport was submerged in 10 feet of water. Only 28 property owners were insured against the damage. "They all told us, `The levees are good. You can go ahead and build,'" said Parks, who did not buy flood coverage because her bank no longer required it. "We had so much confidence in those levees." Around the country, thousands of residents who relied on risk maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency may unknowingly face similar dangers. "People put all their hopes in those levees, and when they do fail, the damage is catastrophic," said Paul Osman, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Illinois. "New Orleans is the epitome; a lot of those people didn't even realize they were in a floodplain until the water was up to their roofs." Mike Buckley, a FEMA deputy assistant administrator, said agency officials encourage everyone to buy federal flood insurance and have never claimed that levees eliminate the risk of flooding. But now - amid the disastrous flooding across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri - some policymakers are demanding the government come up with more accurate, up-to-date flood-risk assessments, inform the public better of the dangers, and require nearly all homeowners to buy coverage if they live near dams or levees. FEMA relies on outside engineers whose job is to certify whether a levee can withstand a 100-year flood - that is, a flood so big that it has only a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year. If FEMA agrees with the certification, then the homes and businesses protected by the levee are not considered to be in a floodplain. That means homeowners living there do not have to buy federal flood insurance. However, some FEMA floodplain maps are 20 years old and seriously outdated, based on old evaluations of levees and river conditions. FEMA, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program, has spent almost $1 billion since 2003 so far to modernize its maps, which Buckley said are for insurance purposes, not to indicate people are safe. Moreover, some of this year's floods exceeded the 100-year benchmark, including Gulfport's flood, which was a 500-year deluge, the Army Corps of Engineers said. FEMA said it is up to Congress to decide whether everyone whose home could be swamped by a breach of a levee or dam should be required to buy flood insurance. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has sponsored a bill passed by the Senate that would require just that. It would also require FEMA to assess the risks more accurately. Homeowners and businesses behind levees or downstream of dams "are often unaware of the risks to their properties" and so don't buy flood insurance, Dodd said. "When these manmade structures fail, the effects can be dangerous and devastating," he said in a statement. "With no insurance coverage, the process of rebuilding their homes and their lives becomes tremendously difficult for families and businesses." Larry Larson, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said FEMA should not wait for Congress. But he said he doubts the agency will act on its own, because the move would be too politically unpopular. Many residents and communities strongly resist attempts to force them to buy coverage because of the cost and the belief that it will hurt economic development, said Doug Bellomo, director of FEMA's risk analysis division. "From our perspective, while flood insurance isn't free, it is a way of hedging your investment in property against a risk we have pretty good understanding of," Bellomo said. "There's not a question of if you should buy fire insurance, but there is a lot of aversion to flood insurance." Communities protected by the 52-mile Sny levee, along the Mississippi River near Quincy, Ill., worked hard to persuade FEMA in 2004 to accredit the levee, rebuilt after failing in 1993, as providing protection against a 100-year flood. FEMA relented, even though the decision was based on 1979 data and an unpublished Army Corps of Engineering study indicated that elevations in the river had risen substantially. Now, the Sny is in danger of failing and many people no longer have flood insurance. Parks said she was told that flood insurance on her Gulfport home would cost more than $1,000 a year. But Osman said that in Illinois, policies average $400 a year for those in floodplains and $120 to $317 for people like Parks who are not in a designated floodplain. At least 22 levees in the three flood-stricken states already have been topped by floodwaters this week, the Corps said. Dozens more could overflow. In Hull - a town of about 500 that was inundated in the 1993 flood but is now deemed protected by the Sny - only 44 homeowners still have flood insurance, Osman said. Jerry Rodhouse, who lives on a 1,200-acre farm near Pleasant Hill, Ill., said if the nearby levee breaks, the land in that part of the Sny drainage system will be under as much as 9 feet of water. But he said he is confident the levee will hold. "We have the finest levees on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis," he said. "We've been working since 1872 to protect our land." It is unclear what, if anything, the uninsured Parks would get in government disaster relief. "We're hoping to rebuild, but it depends what FEMA says and how much we get," said Parks, who is staying with her husband in a horse trailer. Gulfport building and zoning inspector John Carrier said the flood is a blow to the town that was told it was out of harm's way. "Everybody was happy; that meant the village could build and thrive," he said. "People can decide if they want to take that risk or not and rebuild. But I don't know what happens now." | ||
| Doc Gardner |
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Master and Commander Posts: 2254 Location: Foothills of the Ozarks | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens I lived in Missouri (St. Charles County) during the floods of 1993 and from that experience I learned, first hand, that people who build in "flood plains" are just plain idiots. They believe what they want and hear only what suits their needs and, frankly, I don't have any sympathy for them. It's a floodplain you idiot; that means someday it's going to flood. Deal with it. end of rant; resume normal steaming routine. | ||
| dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens There is a reason it is called a FLOOD PLANE....All the reasons a prudent person would need to stay the hell out of the area are contained in those two words. Next, the Good Lord has a way of thwarting the plans, predictions and man made precautiions of experts, prognosticators and government experts. Somehow we have lost sight of the older generations concept of "personal responsibility". Since I was a kid watching pre-saturday matinee movies, I've seen houses in Iowa and the mid-west floating down rivers...folks in boats and canoes rescuing people from rooftops...cows huddled together on what little high ground is left...The downtown main street stores with water up to the second floor....dead chickens snorkeling around....and grown people sad and crying sitting on soggy furniture. Why do the idiots return? If you stuck your hand into crocadile cage and the sonuvabitch bit it off, would you turn around a begin to pet him with the other hand? People who CHOOSE TO LIVE IN LOCATIONS THAT FLOOD REGULARLY or in coastal areas subject to periodic hurricanes are involved in a personal tragedy crapshoot and should be required to cover their bad bets. The concept is called "taking personal responsibilty for the choices you make." In the bullfighting world it is known as,"You mess with the bull, don't be surprised if you find twelve inches of horn entering your belly button and coming out next to your spine....That's what bulls do for a living." Another seemingly alien concept...The government is not responsible for everything bad thing that happens to people...and it sure as hell does not need to be in the business of bailing out idiots and certifying man made construction intended to shelter stupid people from God created catastrophic events. Those sad people need somewhere to layoff the blame for their own idiotic choice....You want to live in an area where the rivers overflow on a regular basis...buy lots of flood insurance...put lifeboat davits on your roof....or a heliport on the top of your garage....and buy a copy of HOW TO BLAME FEMA, The Weather Bureau and politicians in Washington for being so dumb you doubled down on living out your life above flood stage. DEX | ||
| docbeeghly |
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| Senior Crew Posts: 184 Location: ConroeTexas | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens Well I have lived on a small island just off the coast of Texas for twenty eight years and for a dumb arsed submarine retiree I have never been without homeowners, flood and windstorm insurance. Most of the well known insurance companies will not even write flood and windstorm insurance and we are forced to buy our insurance thru the government sponsered catastrophic pool which is quite exppensive with hefty deductables. My insurance premiums run about $5000.00 per year and I have only collected once for a hurricane damaged roof. My greatest worry is if my home gets blown away in a hurricane will the government have enough money to pay for my home after paying for all the 500 thousand to million dollar second homes in my area. Regardless, when the reports come in of hurricanes even coming close I head for the hill country, and leave early to get ahead of the bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic. The Beagle doc | ||
| Stoops |
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| Master and Commander Posts: 1405 Location: Houston, TX (Best state in the US) | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens Hell, my biggest worry is that if Doc gets flooded out permanently he'll come up here, stake his claim on my upstairs, and start going through my liquor cabinet. I don't have to worry about Terry's underwear, Doc Gardner took all that his last time here.... Then, he'd probably call Dex and tell him I had a great collection of 40's 50's and 60's music and before you know it, Beeghly would have charged return trip airfare for the Dex and the olgoat on my credit card.............. Nope...I'm praying for a tranquil summer.....I can't afford the beeghly and a hurricane at the same time..... | ||
| Jim M. |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 877 | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens Stoops - 2008-06-20 5:45 PM Hell, my biggest worry is ..... Doc ..... Mr. Stoops, I couldn't have put it any better..hehehehehe.. | ||
| RCK |
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| Master and Commander Posts: 1431 | Subject: RE: "stuff" happens Well I don't mean to interrupt this highly academic discussion, but I do have some level of expertise in preventing home&harth invasions by alien beings. My advise would be TO CALL THE EXTERMENATORS NOW BEFORE THEY GET A FOOTHOLD IN YOUR JOINT!!!   THAT"S EXTERMINATORSEdited by RCK 2008-06-20 6:41 PM | ||
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