An issue quickly becoming a national concern is the current state of our levee systems. It comes as no surprise that this matter involving levee certification has landed on the radar of countless businesses and households across the United States.
Approximately 700 counties and parishes contain levees made to secure residents from temperamental Mother Nature. From coast to coast, several levee systems are aging and in serious need of an overhaul. Not long ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported nearly 150 levees were unsatisfactory. What’s more is that residents living within the walls of levee protection could soon be forced to buy costly flood insurance at a time when they can least afford it.
When many hear the word levee, it is sometimes easily dismissed as a term central to Louisiana. However, levee certification is not Louisiana centric. Instead, it is national concern given that more than 43 percent of Americans live in areas sheltered by levees. Despite these numbers, the nation’s flood-protection system has continued to be hindered by bureaucratic red tape and insufficient congressional funding.
Currently, levees in the U.S. are required to provide certification from a registered professional engineer that they meet the standards of the National Flood Insurance Program of withstanding the one-percent annual chance flood. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already determined that numerous levees throughout the country do not meet the new regulations of withstanding a 100-year flood level and will not be certified. Without the required certification, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not provide accreditation to those levees; thus, leading FEMA to redraw the flood insurance rate maps as if the levees never existed.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of residents, many of whom are already struggling during this tough economic climate, will be forced to pay even higher premiums and purchase costly insurance through the National Flood Insurance Plan (NFIP). Representing one of the most rural congressional districts, I know that few residents will be able to afford the price tag of this mandatory insurance. Before the federal government imposes yet another penalty on American households and businesses, I propose stalling the updates to the flood insurance map rates allowing local governments to work with the corps to correct design deficiencies in levees.
Many argue that this is a matter of public safety. Like all of my colleagues here in Washington, the safety of my constituents is my top priority. However, forcing people to purchase flood insurance is not providing security. A true safety measure would be to end the neglect that our levee systems have faced for years and properly fund their maintenance.
Instead of agencies trying to shirk responsibility and place blame on local municipalities, the federal government should invest in our national infrastructure. FEMA estimates that levees are present in roughly 22 percent of the country’s 3,147 counties. If all of these levees do not receive accreditation, are we essentially eliminating 22 percent of the nation from new job growth? It seems to me that the only businesses that would willingly relocate to areas with such high insurance rates would be the insurance companies themselves.
Across America, people who rely on the protection of levees should be made aware there is a real reason for concern. To keep this momentum moving in the right direction, Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) and I recently launched the Congressional Levee Caucus to gain legislative support and focus.
The caucus will serve as an informal, bipartisan group of Members dedicated to preserving the nation’s levee systems and defending those individuals whom levees guard. Levee certification is the first issue that the caucus will address to ensure that homeowners do not face major increases in their insurance costs. Congressman Costello has authored H.R. 3415, which seeks to remedy this by suspending flood insurance rate map updates in areas where levees are being repaired.
Going forward, we will continue to work to provide legislative solutions that will make certain our levees are strong and capable of protecting homes and businesses from the 100-year flood level. I ask all of my colleagues to join us in this effort.
We need to take critical precautions today to make sure our communities are not vulnerable to the storms of tomorrow. Congressional precedence must be given to guarantee that the integrity of the levees, the safety of the people, and the sustainability of the towns are protected.
Rep. Alexander, R-LA, represents the 5th Congressional District and serves on the House Appropriations Committee.