VIRGINIA, USA — According to new data from the Natural Resources Defense Council, more than 5,000 homes have flooded at least twice in the last decade in Southeastern Virginia.
New numbers on what are known as "repetitive loss properties" are available for the first time through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and we now know nearly 75% of these types of properties are here in Hampton Roads.
The federal government started the NFIP in the late 1960s after the private sector essentially bailed on covering flood risk.
The program has been critical for certain homeowners, many in our area, looking for affordable coverage ever since.
The data sheds light on the need for flood insurance and mitigation efforts.
You may even consider yourself fortunate if you’re on the repeatedly-flooded list, because it means you already are insured: you must have insurance to get the label.
And the data doesn’t factor in the many, many homes that have flooded without federal insurance to reduce the financial blow.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is hoping these new numbers encourage more people to at least investigate the risk severe weather poses to their homes.