Climate Threats Could Mean Big Jumps in Insurance Costs This Year
The federal government is revising rates for flood coverage on April 1. New data suggests premiums need to increase sharply for some homes.
Creole, La., a day after Hurricane Delta hit the area in October.Credit...Emily Kask for The New York Times
Published Feb. 22, 2021Updated March 18, 2021
WASHINGTON — The cost of federal flood insurance will need to increase significantly in much of the country to meet the growing risks of climate change, new data suggests, creating a political headache for the Biden administration.
The National Flood Insurance Program, which provides the vast majority of United States flood insurance policies, would have to quadruple premiums on high-risk homes inside floodplains to reflect the risks they already face, according to data issued on Monday by the First Street Foundation, a group of academics and experts that models flood risks.