{"id":425867,"date":"2024-11-26T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=425867"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Nearly-200-Michigan-Communities-Can-t-Get-Flood-Insurance-By-Choice-Insurify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Nearly-200-Michigan-Communities-Can-t-Get-Flood-Insurance-By-Choice-Insurify\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 200 Michigan Communities Can\u2019t Get Flood Insurance \u2014 By Choice | Insurify"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan might not make national headlines for flooding as frequently as Florida or Texas, but flooding in the Great Lakes State isn\u2019t uncommon. Severe thunderstorms caused destructive flooding in Metro Detroit in 2021, leading to a presidential disaster declaration. And a low-pressure system drenched southeast Michigan in 2014, smashing historic rainfall records.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Michigan homeowners want protection from flooding, they must buy flood insurance, as standard home insurance doesn\u2019t cover flood damage. But homeowners can only purchase federal flood insurance<\/span> if their community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)<\/span><\/strong><\/a> \u2014 and 194 Michigan communities don\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Michigan counties with the most non-participating communities are in good shape to prepare for and recover if a flood disaster does hit them. They have high community resilience, per the Federal Emergency Management Administration\u2019s (FEMA) National Risk Index.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, just 1 inch of flooding can cause $25,000 of damage, according to FEMA. Without flood insurance, homeowners are on the hook for 100% of that cost.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFlood hazards exist throughout Michigan,\u201d Lauren Thompson-Phillips, a public information officer with the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division, told Insurify. \u201cMost communities in Michigan face some level of flooding risk, primarily due to natural hazards, though lakes, rivers, and urban stormwater runoff also pose threats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How the NFIP works<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

FEMA oversees the NFIP, which makes flood insurance available directly to consumers or through more than 50 insurance companies. Most property owners have access to NFIP coverage, and many mortgage lenders require borrowers in special flood hazard areas to buy flood insurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Community participation in the NFIP, however, is voluntary. Communities have to apply to participate, which involves adopting a resolution of intent to participate and to cooperate with FEMA. From there, communities must adopt and submit a floodplain management ordinance that meets or exceeds NFIP criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-participating communities can\u2019t receive federal disaster assistance or federal loans for development in identified hazard areas. And their residents can\u2019t buy flood insurance through NFIP.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michigan at a glance<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Of Michigan\u2019s 1,573 communities, 194, or 12.3%, don\u2019t participate in the NFIP. Most are in counties with very or relatively low flood risk and high community resilience, according to FEMA data.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Only four counties (all in central or southeastern Michigan) have moderate or high flood risks: Macomb, Oakland, Saginaw, and Wayne \u2014 home to Detroit. Seven of the 194 non-participating communities are in those four counties, including three in Metro Detroit.<\/span><\/p>\n

While FEMA classifies most of Michigan as having very or relatively low flood risk, low risk doesn\u2019t mean no risk. For example, four communities in Michigan\u2019s southeastern Washtenaw County don\u2019t participate in the NFIP, and Washtenaw was among the hardest-hit municipalities during the 2021 storms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Risk is shifting as climate change influences the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Federal agencies and insurers face the need to redefine risk for areas that have historically been considered low-risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, Michigan\u2019s risk is largely based on recent data. Though many areas of the country operate on decades-old flood maps, Michigan Floodplain Management and NFIP State Coordinator Matthew Occhipinti told Insurify FEMA is in the middle of a major flood map update for Michigan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur maps were some of the oldest maps in the country, but FEMA has really been putting forth a gigantic effort in Michigan and other Great Lakes states to update the flood maps,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ll see a lot of currently effective flood insurance rate maps are now [from] the 2020s. Well over 100 communities have gotten new maps in the last few years and there\u2019s a whole bunch more coming next year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do some communities choose not to participate?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Opting not to participate in the NFIP can be due to several factors, Occhipinti said, including available time and resources and lack of awareness. Cities or counties with planning and engineering departments are more equipped to create and implement a floodplain management ordinance. While some communities contract the work to the county, they may lack local capability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we see this are these very small, rural communities that generally don\u2019t have the resources,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to have a full-time staff like a city or county is going to have. A lot of them have volunteer or part-time staff that only work on township business for a couple of hours a month.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Occhipinti said most communities that don\u2019t participate in the NFIP are generally not flood-prone or don\u2019t have developed areas at risk, lack of awareness is sometimes a factor. His office has only a handful of people overseeing this for the entire state.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the high number of communities we have in the state, there\u2019s a very high turnover in local officials, so just educating them on the basics of the National Flood Insurance Program is a constant challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cTrying to dispel misinformation, get communities the information they need, and train community officials as they turn over is definitely a challenge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Flood insurance is also an extra expense. While Michigan homeowners pay about $1,840 per year for home insurance, which is below the national average, it\u2019s also among the states where rates are rising the fastest,<\/span> according to Insurify\u2019s home insurance report<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

NFIP rates in Michigan are also below average, at around $832 per year, but rates vary depending on regional risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next? What can consumers do?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Residents who want flood protection in communities that don\u2019t participate in the NFIP can consider private flood insurance. Unlike the NFIP \u2014 which guarantees coverage, if at risk-based rates \u2014 private insurers may refuse coverage if they don\u2019t want to take on the risk. Or they may request flood mitigation measures before insuring the property.<\/span><\/p>\n

Residents can also get in touch with local government officials to ask about NFIP participation and advocate for adopting a floodplain management ordinance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Community-level flood hazard mitigation measures vary based on specific risks and needs, Thompson-Phillips told Insurify. To date, 80 Michigan counties have completed a local hazard mitigation plan that includes planning for floods, such as investing in improvements to stormwater systems in urban areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Michigan might not make national headlines for flooding as frequently as Florida or Texas, but…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23812],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425867\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}