FEMA Pledges to Rethink Model for Determining Flood Maps

Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is applauding the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for their plans to immediately put on hold
changes to the Flood Map Modernization Program that could have resulted in
skyrocketing flood insurance rates for many Missourians.  This announcement came in
response to a letter McCaskill sent along with 26 of her colleagues last month urging FEMA to consider the impact
of the program on affected areas.

In the letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate on February 3, the bipartisan group
of senators asked the agency to change its policy regarding uncertified levees when
calculating who is required to buy federal flood insurance, shielding Missourians
who live in high-risk flood zones from rising insurance costs.

"I'm pleased that FEMA heeded our request to discontinue their current approach and
will now work to replace it with more precise methods that don't unfairly punish
Missouri's communities. I will continue to monitor this process to ensure that FEMA
employs modeling techniques that are both fair and accurate," McCaskill said.

Additionally, in the coming months, FEMA has committed to developing new policies
for modeling flood risks.  Until new policies can be put in place, FEMA will
withhold from issuing new Flood Insurance Rate Maps in communities that could
possibly benefit under the revised process.