The catastrophic damage revealed this week in the wake of Hurricane Ian shows the need for Congress to address natural catastrophe risk and pass a long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The Real Estate Roundtable has long advocated for a long-term program extension to avoid lapses that create uncertainty in both the insurance and housing markets.

NFIP & CRE

• Originally enacted in 1968, the NFIP has been extended under 22 short-term congressional reauthorizations, including last week’s stopgap funding bill that extended government operations until Dec. 16. (Congressional Research Service report, Oct. 3 and Roundtable Weekly, Sept. 30)

• The total potential debt exposure to properties in the path of Ian could be as high as $52 billion. (Trepp, Sept. 29 “Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall: Mapping the Commercial Real Estate Exposure”)
  
  
• Recovery from storms could take longer and cost more to rebuild amid continued supply chain constraints and inflationary pressures. Media coverage included:
  
  
  • “Property Damage from Hurricane Ian Now Estimated Between $41 Billion to $70 Billion” (WorldPropertyJournal, Oct. 7)
    
    
  • “The Impact Hurricane Ian Could Have on CRE” (GlobeSt, Oct. 3)
    
    
  • “'Never Seen Anything Like This': CRE Assesses Impact Of Hurricane Ian” (BisNow, Oct. 2)
    
    
  • “Ian will 'financially ruin' homeowners and insurers” (PolitcoPro, Oct. 1)

The Roundtable continues to work with lawmakers and coalition partners to address catastrophic risk issues and enact a long-term extension to the NFIP that includes effective reforms.

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