National Flood Insurance Act of 1968
Encyclopedia
The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is a piece of legislation
passed in the United States
that led to the creation of the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP).
The NFIP goals are two-fold:
• To provide flood insurance for structures and contents in communities that adopt and enforce an ordinance outlining minimal floodplain management standards.
• To identify areas of high and low flood hazard and establish flood insurance rates for structures inside each flood hazard area.
The act was motivated by a long history of property damage and loss of life due to flooding. The legislation was finally promulgated because of the recent flood loss sustained in Florida
and Louisiana
following the destruction caused by the Hurricane Betsy
flood surge in 1965.
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
passed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that led to the creation of the National Flood Insurance Program
National Flood Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program is a program created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 . The program enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection from the government against losses from flooding...
(NFIP).
The NFIP goals are two-fold:
• To provide flood insurance for structures and contents in communities that adopt and enforce an ordinance outlining minimal floodplain management standards.
• To identify areas of high and low flood hazard and establish flood insurance rates for structures inside each flood hazard area.
The act was motivated by a long history of property damage and loss of life due to flooding. The legislation was finally promulgated because of the recent flood loss sustained in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
following the destruction caused by the Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
flood surge in 1965.