Flooding has been an expensive problem long enough that, decades ago, private insurers generally stopped offering flood insurance for homes. So the government stepped up, creating the National Flood Insurance Program to provide insurance to homeowners in areas prone to flooding. As such, people in areas at risk of significant flooding paid premiums based on an out-of-date estimate of how much risk of flooding existed. For the most part, the new FEMA flood maps don’t account for the effects of future changes to the climate. “But [the maps] only look at historic experience.”The flood insurance program is due to expire this year.

Source: Washington Post August 28, 2017 14:21 UTC