A Big Mahalo to FEMA Region IX Flood Insurance Specialist, Edie Lohmann for taking time away from her busy schedule to lead a Flood Insurance Workshop here in Honolulu this past August for our local insurance agents, realtors, and lenders. Much Aloha also goes out to Hawaii Independent Insurance Agent Association (HIIA), Executive Director, Chenise... Continue Reading →
Don't let water damage rain on your parade. If you own or rent a home, here's what the Hawai'i DCCA Insurance Division says you need to know about flood risk. We’ve got plenty of both, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the 50th State. There’s also rain, and flooding from a heavy downpour... Continue Reading →
Basically, it allows for the 12th short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) since 2017. The 10th extension was approved on December 21, 2018, which carried the program until May 31st 2019. The 11th was the 2-week extension passed one day before the program was set to expire a week ago on May... Continue Reading →
Are you preparing for Hurricane Season? Thinking about getting flood insurance? Well you may want to call your agent ASAP. WHY? This afternoon, Congress approved a 2 week extension (until June 14) of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was set to expire and required reauthorization by 11:59 PM EST tomorrow (May 31, 2019)... Continue Reading →
Feature Image Credit: Mark Sullivan Contributing Author: Eric Simmons, FEMA RIX All communities participating in the NFIP (including Honolulu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island) were recently sent an awareness letter on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). ESA compliance documentation has been required by FEMA for conditional letter requests for almost 10 years. FEMA released... Continue Reading →
Only flood insurance covers flood damage. Without it, your recovery options are limited and costly. Your recovery will depend on your savings, your line of credit or the hope that a federal disaster declaration may make State/Federal disaster-related grants and/or U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans available.If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area... Continue Reading →
Congress must periodically renew the National Flood Insurance Program’s statutory authority to operate. On December 21, 2018, the President signed legislation passed by Congress that extends the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) authorization to May 31, 2019. NFIP re-authorization is an opportunity for Congress to take bold steps to reduce the complexity of the program... Continue Reading →
Why do insurance companies classify certain types of risk as uninsurable? And why do insurance regulators prohibit insurers from setting premiums that reflect risk, particularly in locales that repeatedly suffer losses from natural disasters? The short answer is that insurance today is misunderstood and hence is not effectively meeting its most important objectives—to inform those... Continue Reading →
The answer is “YES”. Every property in Hawaii has a flood zone designation. It may not be in a high-risk flood zone (A or V zones) that would require mandatory flood insurance purchase as a condition of a federally regulated loan, but it doesn’t mean that flooding is not possible. In fact, 20% flood insurance... Continue Reading →
