Garbarino leads bipartisan group in seeking affordable flood insurance for Americans

U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) led a bipartisan contingent of 21 other lawmakers in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure broader flood insurance affordability by allowing premiums to be paid in monthly installments, rather than on an annual basis.

“One affordability hurdle people face in obtaining or maintaining insurance coverage is that those who do not escrow their flood insurance premiums with their mortgage payment, must pay premiums on an annual basis,” wrote Rep. Garbarino and his colleagues in an Oct. 10 letter sent to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. 

“Considering the average annual NFIP premium for a single-family home is nearly $900, and sometimes far more, a one-time payment is a financial hardship for many policyholders and deterrent to those who may otherwise obtain coverage,” they wrote.

Specifically, the lawmakers requested that Criswell provide an update on FEMA’s implementation of such an installment payment system, which will allow all National Flood Insurance Program policyholders to pay premiums in monthly installments instead of annually.

“As you know, flood insurance is an essential tool for homeowners, renters, and communities to proactively protect against flooding,” wrote the lawmakers. “Those with flood insurance are able to recover quicker and more comprehensively in the wake of a flood, making flood insurance a common-sense financial choice.”

The members noted that FEMA’s implementation of the installment payment system is long overdue, and they asked Criswell to explain what has contributed to the delays in carrying out its statutory directive to do so under the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, according to their letter.

“Despite having 18 months from the date of enactment to comply with this [law], FEMA has yet to implement this provision,” they wrote.

Additionally, Rep. Garbarino and the members requested responses to several other questions, including what FEMA’s plan is to implement the statutory directive, what FEMA’s timeline is to implement it, what additional resources are needed to implement it, and what other barriers are preventing FEMA from implementing the statutory directive.

Among the lawmakers who joined Rep. Garbarino in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. John Joyce (R-PA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), and Vicente Gonzales (D-TX).