Flood Insurance Forum Scheduled For Kinston 

Release Date: November 2, 2000
Release Number: R4-00-15

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Recalling the devastating flooding experienced by many North Carolina communities following Hurricane Floyd, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is holding a special conference in Kinston, N.C., on Thursday, November 9, 2000, to emphasize the value of federally backed flood insurance for property owners and to discuss recent changes in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that will better protect citizens.

"North Carolina at Risk" is the theme of the one-day conference intended for insurance agents, lenders, realtors, state and local officials, business owners and all other interested citizens. This public forum will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hampton Inn-Kinston, 1382 Highway 258 South in Kinston, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Attendance is free of charge.

"More and more North Carolinians are learning that floods can happen at any time, anywhere," said Jo Ann Howard, administrator of the Federal Insurance Administration, the part of FEMA that manages the NFIP. "Since 1969, property owners throughout North Carolina have received over $539 million in flood insurance claims payments, which are paid whether or not a major disaster declaration is issued."

Howard will be the keynote speaker at the conference, where interested citizens and business and community leaders will have the opportunity to meet with experts to discuss how they can protect their investments from flood loss.

Also on the agenda are Brad Loar, from FEMA's regional office in Atlanta; Kinston Mayor Johnnie Mosley; North Carolina Deputy Insurance Commissioner Daschiel Propes; and George M. Graham, Jr., chairman of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners.

The morning session will feature an interactive panel discussion with participants that include an insurance agent; a mortgage lender who was also an uninsured flood victim; an attorney from Zebulon, N.C.; and the NFIP's state coordinator for North Carolina.

The afternoon session from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. will consist of separate seminars covering topics of particular interest to insurance agents, lenders, real estate professionals and community officials.

The NFIP makes federally backed flood insurance available in communities that adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations to reduce future flood losses. Currently, more than 4.2 million flood insurance policies are in force in more than 19,000 participating communities nationwide, representing nearly $538 billion worth of coverage. The NFIP is a self-supporting program; claims and operating expenses are paid from policyholder premiums, not taxpayer dollars.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Nov-2003 15:37:17