Credit: Kathy Kmonicek / AP
Hundreds of thousands of people across parts of the Southeast will struggle to rebuild their homes after Hurricane Helene for one reason: Hardly anyone has flood insurance.
In dozens of counties in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina that were flooded by Helene, less than 1 percent of households have flood insurance through the federal program that sells almost all of the nation’s flood policies.
“People never thought they would have a problem with flooding,” said Jimmy Isaacs, fire chief of Boone, North Carolina, a mountainous town in Watauga County, where less than 2.5 percent of households are insured. “It’s going to be a difficult recovery.”
Helene is highlighting the major gaps in U.S. flood insurance and their consequences as climate change amplifies flood risk both from coastal storm surge and rapidly overflowing rivers in Boone and other inland areas.
Flood insurance is sold separately from homeowners’ […]
I live in central NC and don’t have flood insurance because it never has flooded here and likely never will. This is exactly the belief that those in the mountains had because it never had flooded in the generations that had lived on most of those properties. The wealthy who have moved there in recent years built high up to enjoy the views as they could afford the extra construction expense. They are as the saying goes “high and dry” except having a bit of trouble getting out as the roads are destroyed. With so many people made destitute by this 1000 year flood government is going to have to come up with some sort of program for reconstruction of homes and businesses-some applied socialism. Western North Carolina is very conservative #45 country so a program of that sort would put them in a philosophical dilemma needing help from government but hating government handouts. We will see, the most immediate need is to get shelter for many as winter is not far away. There but for the Grace of God…