Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ease regulations that are keeping some victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton from rebuilding their homes.
In the aftermath of this summer’s hurricanes, strict regulations by the National Flood Insurance Plan are preventing many families from rebuilding or repairing homes.
In a letter to Acting Federal Insurance Assistant Administrator Jeffery Jackson, Attorney General Moody says many homes affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton are participants in the National Flood Insurance Plan, which is administered by FEMA.
According to multiple reports, NFIP regulations are preventing many of these homes from being rebuilt or repaired.
According to NFIP regulations, homes that need ‘substantial improvements’ must be rebuilt to specific flood-resistant building code standard which means that if a citizen has damage to their home that would cost half the pre-storm value of their home to be repaired, no other work on the home can be performed without updating the entire home to NFIP’s specifications.
Attorney General Moody also points out that many of those suffering most from the storms lived in older homes in low-income areas and do not have the resources to fundamentally rebuild their homes.
In circumstances like this, many people will simply abandon their home and, possibly, have no choice but to leave the community they love altogether.
Attorney General Moody is asking FEMA to consider making variances available in more circumstances and increase the money available to bring homes up to FEMA’s NFIP standards.
In the aftermath of this summer’s hurricanes, strict regulations by the National Flood Insurance Plan are preventing many families from rebuilding or repairing homes.
In a letter to Acting Federal Insurance Assistant Administrator Jeffery Jackson, Attorney General Moody says many homes affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton are participants in the National Flood Insurance Plan, which is administered by FEMA.
According to multiple reports, NFIP regulations are preventing many of these homes from being rebuilt or repaired.
According to NFIP regulations, homes that need ‘substantial improvements’ must be rebuilt to specific flood-resistant building code standard which means that if a citizen has damage to their home that would cost half the pre-storm value of their home to be repaired, no other work on the home can be performed without updating the entire home to NFIP’s specifications.
Attorney General Moody also points out that many of those suffering most from the storms lived in older homes in low-income areas and do not have the resources to fundamentally rebuild their homes.
In circumstances like this, many people will simply abandon their home and, possibly, have no choice but to leave the community they love altogether.
Attorney General Moody is asking FEMA to consider making variances available in more circumstances and increase the money available to bring homes up to FEMA’s NFIP standards.
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