Subcommittee Hearing on “Implementation of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012: Protecting Taxpayers and Homeowners”
Subcommittee Hearing on “Implementation of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012: Protecting Taxpayers and Homeowners”
Thank you Mr. Chairman
We gather here today to talk about Relief.
Relief with a capital R!
Relief that families suffering from the devastation of floods and hurricanes need to rebuild their homes and broken lives. Relief that small property owners need to clean up and reconstruct from the wreckage left behind by the rising waters. Relief that small communities need to jump start their recovery, and bring back life to the affected neighborhoods and abandoned streets.
When congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012, the intent of congress was to indeed provide relief
Relief to homeowners, renters, and business owners living in flood-prone regions, and who increasingly needed help meeting the escalating costs of repairing damages caused by floods. But the implementation of the Act by FEMA did nothing of the sort. Instead of providing stability, affordability and sustainability to the Flood Insurance program, we instead have seen a failed implementation add to the pain, the stress and hardship felt by millions of families vulnerable to flood disasters.
And so, Mr. Chairman, today I join this hearing in a rather unusual occasion as a non-member of this subcommittee, to exceptionally address the story of another capital R. And that is the story of Rockaway, Jamaica in New York’s 5th district. A community that has experienced devastation like few others in America. After suffering one of the worst housing slump and one of the worst unemployment rates during the great economic recession, the peninsula of Rockaway was further devastated by Hurricane Sandy just a year ago, with the worst floods we have seen on the East coast in decades, with water surging up to twelve feet along the Jamaica Bay, and wrecking havoc on the peninsula’s historic beautiful beaches, commercial district and residential properties.
As we are seated here today, many of the residents of Rockaway, my constituents, my friends and family, have yet to return to their homes, overwhelmed by a myriad of restoration expenses. But the struggle to recover doesn’t end there for Rockaway. Many property owners along the peninsula have received mail with notices that their flood insurance coverage was going up by thousands of dollars. Worse, payments were due immediately.
Mr. Chairman, my constituents in Rockaway need real relief. The implementation of Biggert-Waters has been a disaster and we need to offer relief immediately. I stand ready to continue working to find solutions that can indeed finally provide meaningful relief and meaningful opportunities to support the rebirth of the Rockaway and many other communities across the country. I thank my democratic and republican colleagues for their bipartisan support and collaboration on legislation we have introduced to start providing relief, and I will be keeping a watchful ear and eye to ensure that my constituents get help and are treated fairly
My constituents are resilient! They have shown great courage and strength during the economic recession and the Sandy disaster. And today, the Rockaway Peninsula is re-emerging. But one thing they do not need is for FEMA and the poor implementation of the Biggert-Waters to get in the way.