By Tyler Esh, Eau Claire County Emergency Management Coordinator As emergency responders, our job is to prepare for the unknown – it’s about helping people stay safe and protected through times of fire, flood, severe weather and anything that puts lives and property in harm’s way. Every spring communities across Wisconsin are hit by major flooding. […]
Eau Claire students wore ‘Hats for Harvey Friday to raise relief funds for Houston area families
Two Eau Claire schools joined forces Friday to assist a Texas elementary school in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Students at Northstar Middle School and Northwoods Elementary School participated in “Hats for Harvey” day, to benefit Mission Glen Elementary School in the Houston area. The Eau Claire students were encouraged to wear hats to school […]
Hurricane Harvey puts flooding, flood insurance back in the news — and potential home buyers still deserve full risk information
Editor’s Note: This Commentary (originally posted in April) is again timely because of the late August damage inflicted by Hurricane Harvey. That damage is sure to complicate Congressional efforts to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which will lapse if not reauthorized by Sept. 30. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provides coverage for more than 4.9 million policyholders, including 593,113 in Texas. The Texas total includes nearly 250,000 federal insurance policies in Houston and surrounding Harris County with a total coverage value of about $69.3 billion, according to FEMA data as reported by rollcall.com. FEMA is authorized to borrow only $5.8 billion to cover claims that exceed the funds it has on hand, unless Congress raises the borrowing limit. Much of the NFIP’s $24.6 billion debt came from damage claims submitted after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.