GAO, Homeland Security Slam FEMA on Floods

[Eugene]

GAO, Homeland Security Slam FEMA on Floods


Wednesday October 19, 2005 12:46 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - FEMA needs to improve management of its flood
insurance program, including updating and modernizing its flood maps,
two government agencies said Tuesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been criticized
for its slow response to the disaster in the Gulf Coast caused by
hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is also in charge of the federal flood
insurance program. Commercial insurance policies do not normally cover
floods. Instead, policies are offered under a federally subsidized
program.

An analysis by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative
arm of Congress, said the agency has been slow to implement
legislative requirements passed in 2004 to set up an appeals process
and to provide policyholders with better information on their
policies.

In addition, the report said FEMA, a branch of the Department of
Homeland Security, does not use a statistically valid method to select
cases for review.

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More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5353136,00.html