Floods surround the house of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, on September 1, 2021. Hurricane Ida made landfall as a powerful Category 4, causing flooding and wind damage along the Gulf Coast.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Floods surround the house of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, on September 1, 2021. Hurricane Ida made landfall as a powerful Category 4, causing flooding and wind damage along the Gulf Coast.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Ten states and dozens of municipalities are suing the Biden administration over raising fees for the National Flood Insurance Program. The program covers areas at high risk of flooding and is managed by FEMA, he, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A lawsuit, filed in New Orleans federal court on Thursday (the start of the Atlantic hurricane season), seeks to block insurance premium increases.
When FEMA was new Risk Assessment 2.0 The tariff plan went into effect in April, but the agency said it was fairer and better reflected flood risk.Result is rate increase Coastal states such as Louisiana and Florida average over 100%. Some parishes in southeastern Louisiana will see tax rates increase by an average of 500% or more.
“A flood insurance policy with a risk rating of 2.0 has now become a natural disaster in its own right,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
He said rising interest rates could push some residents out of their homes. “This policy has completely disrupted the state’s housing market and business environment.”
The complaint alleges that FEMA failed to adequately consider local flood mitigation efforts and exceeded its authority.
FEMA declined to comment on the new lawsuit, citing its policy not to comment on pending lawsuits.
In addition to Louisiana, states that have signed federal lawsuits include Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Both have Republican attorneys general. The lawsuit is against the Department of Homeland Security and Director Alejandro Mayorcas, FEMA and Director Dean Criswell, and the Federal Insurance Mitigation Agency.
About 43 Louisiana parishes and a dozen levee commissions are also plaintiffs.
“This is vitally important to the survival of all of Louisiana,” says Gordon Dove, superintendent of Terrebon. “We have seen the state of Louisiana and the parish spend billions of dollars to protect the people of Terrebon Parish. It basically completely destroyed what we were working for.”
