Mark Kelly: “In September of 1999, most of the east coast was hit hard by Hurricane Floyd. There were 66 known deaths, 48 in North…”

“In September of 1999, most of the east coast was hit hard by Hurricane Floyd. There were 66 known deaths, 48 in North Carolina, three in New Jersey, two in New York, six in Pennsylvania, four in Virginia, two in Delaware and one in Vermont. Ten States were declared Federal disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Floyd. These 10 States needed support. In the aftermath of the storm, 4,582 individuals registered for Federal assistance in my home State of New York alone. The insurance for this kind of storm risk is priced far too high for the average homeowner. The Federal Government passed the Federal Flood Insurance Program in 1968 to provide homeowners in communities which meet certain requirements. This program is critical to communities across the country which are threatened by potential floods. This is not a perfect program; but it is something that we need to do, and we need to do it now. It was essential to the recovery of the community in my area of New York in 1999, and it has helped thousands of families nationwide to rebuild their lives after floods.”