Avoid potential flood insurance premium increases - buy before Sept. 1
Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land City Council recently approved a resolution opposing FEMA Risk Rating 2.0 and any effort requiring the mandatory purchase of flood insurance for properties protected by levees.
The resolution also opposes the use of levee safety funds by FEMA for levee risk assessment efforts rather than levee enhanced protection measures.
“Resolution No. 21-16 outlines position statements regarding the FEMA plans to overhaul its risk rating methodology through the implementation of a new pricing methodology called Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action,” said City Engineer Jessie Li. “The new methodology will fundamentally change the way insurance premiums are calculated and may include making flood insurance mandatory for properties protected by levees even if they are accredited.”
FEMA announced that Risk Rating 2.0 would be implemented on Oct. 1. There are more than 5 million National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders nationwide; FEMA estimates that 77 percent will pay higher flood insurance rates under Risk Rating 2.0. In Texas, 86 percent of the 768,600 NFIP policyholders will see increased flood insurance rates. In Fort Bend County, more than 95 percent of the 64,584 NFIP policyholders will see an increase.
With hurricane season well underway, now is the time to consider getting flood insurance - especially when an inch of water in your home is enough to cause over $25,000 worth of damage. However, it's even more crucial as FEMA prepares to launch Risk Rating 2.0, which will have a direct impact on flood insurance premiums.
Risk Rating 2.0 will go into effect on Oct. 1 for new flood insurance policyholders and April 1, 2022, for renewal of existing policies. Depending on a property's flood risk, homeowners may see an increase in flood insurance premiums as a result of Risk Rating 2.0. Existing policyholders will be grandfathered into how fast flood insurance premium can increase. It is federally mandated that a flood insurance premium cannot increase by more than 18 percent per year.
“If you don't have it already, it's important to contact your insurance provider to get flood insurance as soon as possible to take advantage of being grandfathered into how fast your premium can increase,” said Li. “Remember, flood insurance policies take 30 days to go into effect, so you must purchase your policy by Sept. 1 for your policy to become effective prior to the effective date of Risk Rating 2.0 on Oct. 1. If you do have flood insurance, you should maintain your policy to remain grandfathered into the changes in rates.”
For more information, visit http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/RR20.