05.29.11

Hoeven, Conrad, Berg, Dalrymple Press FEMA For Favorable Decision On Flood Insurance Coverage For ND Residents

BISMARCK – Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad, Congressman Rick Berg and Governor Jack Dalrymple today made a pointed case to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) insurance adjustor in Bismarck that flood insurance policies purchased in anticipation of flooding this summer should be honored.  

Flood insurance policies purchased by residents in at-risk communities have a 30-day waiting period before their insurance takes effect, and the delegation and governor are seeking the best terms possible for those homeowners, who were notified on short notice that the Army Corps of Engineers was planning to increase releases from the main stem dams on the Missouri River.  

FEMA suggested Friday that the 30 day waiting period was closed after the Corps began “higher than normal releases.” The delegation and governor insist, however, that because flood stage has not yet been reached, the policies are valid and should be honored.  

Congressional and governor’s staff, including Mike Hall, an engineer with the State Water Commission, provided the adjustor with factual data and historical background to demonstrate that flood stage has not yet been reached. The group evaluated sites on both sides of the river and in Morton and Burleigh counties. A final decision will be made by James A. Sadler, Director of Claims for National Flood Insurance Program, which is administered by FEMA. 

“Residents on the Missouri River took prudent steps to protect their property when the Corps, on short notice, notified them that they would increase releases on the main stem dams,” the delegation and governor said in a joint statement. “We have demonstrated, with factual data, that the Missouri River is not yet in flood stage, and FEMA now needs to recognize that and honor those policies.”