Mitch Landrieu: “one of the most frequent complaints I have been hearing from people in Louisiana whose homes sustained damage in Katrina…”

“one of the most frequent complaints I have been hearing from people in Louisiana whose homes sustained damage in Katrina and Rita has been about their property insurance. First, it took insurance companies a long time to get adjusters into the area after the storm and many people are still waiting for claim payments. This was followed by the shock for many of our homeowners that their property insurance policies covered wind damage, but not flood damage. They could get the roof replaced, but the rest of the house was lost. Many of them were not required to have flood insurance because they either did not live in a flood plain or did not have a mortgage. And now we are beginning to discover that many insurance companies are no longer writing policies in Louisiana. Our homeowners weathered one, and in some cases two, hurricanes already. However, now it's as if our homeowners have been hit by another hurricane--one causing a flood of red ink, lost homes, ruined lives, and broken communities. I hope we never see another storm like Katrina. I would not want any of my colleagues' states to face the one-two punch of two hurricanes the way Louisiana was. But hurricane season is coming again, starting next week on June 1. These insurance issues and problems are going to come again. We can rebuild levees and use the lessons of Katrina to better prepare for these storms, but finding a solution to this insurance issue is much harder.…”