How much would the FIRE Act have if people bought flood insurance?

[EastKyFF]

In recent weeks there has been a lot of flooding here in Appalachia. Lives and homes have been lost, all of which is very tragic.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of uninsured homes in that number. They live near a creek that has undoubtedly flooded before (some of them have been hit twice this summer) but they won't move or insure, and every time they have a loss they're wanting a handout from FEMA.

What message does this send? "You're high risk, so don't insure. We'll pay for it."

And would we have had $200 million in the FIRE Act if this kind of thing weren't going on nationwide?

Should FEMA stipulate some level of effort from people before they get help? (Regardless, these are my personal opinions.)

[RJE]

Flood insurance is a farce.

Commercial insurance won't cover you. The underwriters look at flood data and figure either a) you live on a hill, so you don't need it or b) you live in a valley, so you're going to get flooded out eventually. Sure, there are some commercial companies that cover you against the "100 year flood", but only if you're in the "this area only floods once every 100 years" zone.

So the only option for the people in the "high risk" zones is federal (or federally subsidized) flood insurance, or FEMA after the fact.

My vote would be - you get FEMA or Fed Flood Insurance benefits once - to move! After that you're on your own - oh, well.

[BucksEng91]

I have a simple answer to this problem. DON'T BUILD OR LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN.

[Lewiston2FF]

Originally posted by BucksEng91:
I have a simple answer to this problem. DON'T BUILD OR LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN.

Nah Bucks! That would require logic! People like living on their land with a view collecting handouts from Uncle Sam everytime
the floodwaters rise, money that the government confiscated from me.
I dont live in a flood plain why should I be paying for someone else to?

[bobsnyder]

Originally posted by BucksEng91:
I have a simple answer to this problem. DON'T BUILD OR LIVE IN A FLOOD PLAIN.

It's almost as if the list of inalienable rights has come to read:

- life
- liberty
- pursuit of happiness
- blatant lack of common sense
- inexplicable stupidity
- complete lack of personal accountability

This problem could explain a whole list of other problems, too, and it certainly applies here.

Of course, if we stopped coddling the idiots by paying them off for their irresponsibility...

[nonameFF]

To answer the original question, "How much would fire act have if people bought flood insurance,"

100 million or 150 million.

This act is separate from flood insurance, the two have nothing to do with each other.

Remember, Bush wanted to put 0 (zero, zip, zilch, nada) in this years budget. 300 million was the request by USFA. After pressure was put on, 100 million was put in and it may yet be raised to 150 million.

[BucksEng91]

Also remember that the savior of all that is good and wonderful, Bill Clinton, cut the original bill from $5 billion down to $100 million, before handing it to the present administration.

Gee, with that record, I wonder what television's "Al Gore" would have done to the FIRE Act...

[ALSfirefighter]

How much more could we get if we didn't send money for flooding and damages to countries like Bangledesh, or even Puerto Rico. When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Floyd hit here, we had significant damage. FEMA came in and gave some grants/repayment for municiple damages, OT salaries etc. However, most of the money they handed out were low income loans. That ****es me off more. Taxpaying Americans get loans, but 3rd World countries, Puerto Rico who has voted down statehood how many times, gets millions/billions of aid. To me that's wrong. Flooding is natural disaster, no we can't control it, and not everyone can just pick up and move. Just like we can't say don't live on the southeast coast with hurricanes, or the midwest in tornado alley. Or out west with the wildfires.
I don't mind any money going to a taxpaying amercian. But if we trimmed off a percentage of economic aid to foreign countries we could make up that money easily.
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The above is my opinion only and doesn't reflect that of any dept/agency I work for, deal with, or am a member of.