Garbarino Introduces Legislation For Faster Advance Payment of Flood Insurance Claims Ahead of Sandy Anniversary
WASHINGTON, DC - In advance of the eleventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) introduced the Emergency Advance Payments Modernization Act to ensure flood insurance policyholders receive swift and accurate advance payments on claims. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05) joined Rep. Garbarino as co-lead of this legislation.
This legislation would create a pilot program centered on the use of data collected by remote sensing technology to enhance FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) use of advance payments. Specifically, the pilot program would direct FEMA to explore the application of this data to provide more precise pre-inspection payout thresholds for delivering funds to affected NFIP policyholders following a flood event, increase the speed at which payments are delivered to policyholders, and explore the application of the data to enhance the claims process under the NFIP.
"Long Islanders are no strangers to flooding," said Rep. Garbarino. "When dealing with structural damage or property loss, homeowners can't afford to sit around waiting to begin recovering after a storm. As we approach the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, I introduced the Emergency Advance Payments Modernization Act to ensure Long Island families can quickly receive advance payments for flood insurance claims in the wake of natural disasters."
Sandy was one of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history, devastating the East Coast and bringing life-changing destruction. The storm damaged, destroyed, or severely flooded roughly 100,000 homes on Long Island. Massive coastal flooding reached heights of five and six feet along the South Shore. Sandy highlighted the critical need to ensure that communities are prepared with the tools necessary to recover after a storm, flood insurance chief among them.
U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced a companion bill in the Senate. In a statement he said, "When natural disasters strike, the last thing Louisiana families can afford to do is wait around for FEMA to issue an advance payment before they can begin the recovery process. My bill would help ensure FEMA has the tools it needs to rapidly issue advance payments for flood insurance claims so that families get the money they need to recover from disasters when it counts."
The full text of the bill can be found here.
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