Find Out How Flood Insurance Changes Affect You

A public information session on recent changes to the federal flood insurance program and how those changes will affect property owners will be held late Thursday afternoon and evening, Sept. 26, in Barrington.

The session runs from 4 to 9 pm in the library auditorium.

The R.I. Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are hosting the session. 

The session has been set up to clarify upcoming changes to insurance that were passed when the National Flood Insurance Program was reauthorized in July of last year. 

For instance, the changes phased out a number of discounts and subsidized rates that are “no longer sustainable,” according to RIEMA. Those phase-outs will occur in 20 percent increments over the next five years. They threaten to drive up the cost of flood insurance dramatically.

The phase-outs include subsidized rates for non-primary homes, businesses, and properties that have sustained severe or repeated flooding. The reforms also phase out “grandfathered” rates and replace them with rates based on the risk of flooding.

You can also get a look at current re-mapping efforts. Those maps are available on the Barrington website.