NEW ORLEANS, La. — Yesterday, Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) hosted a roundtable discussion with David Miller, Associate Administrator of Flood Insurance and Mitigation with FEMA, members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation, and state, parish and business leaders. The roundtable followed a day of tours of flood protection features in our region. During the roundtable, the group discussed upcoming changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the mapping process, reform legislation, and the current financial status of the NFIP.

The press conference which followed their discussion can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j85W13tjdHo

“GNO, Inc. was pleased to host yesterday’s roundtable with David Miller, Associate Administrator of Flood Insurance and Mitigation, our Louisiana Congressional delegation, and parish and business leaders from across the state,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “We look forward to continuing to work with FEMA and our delegation to ensure flood insurance remains affordable.”

Since May 2013, GNO, Inc. has organized a growing coalition of business and elected leaders from across the country to correct harmful changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. The coalition works to address drastic ­and unintended increases to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rates for home and business owners, and now represents over fifty organizations from states across the Gulf and East Coasts. A confluence of the Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 (meant to stabilize NFIP), incomplete FEMA maps and questionable actuarial calculations has led to premium increases of up to 5,000% and more ­for policy-owners who have never flooded. Since GNO, Inc. began its work on this issue, legislation delaying implementation of Section 207 of Biggert-Waters has passed the full U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Among those in attendance yesterday were U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, Congressmen Steve Scalise and Bill Cassidy, and elected and business leaders from numerous parishes across South Louisiana. This meeting was an opportunity for FEMA to share their plans for implementation of the Biggert-Waters Act and the Levee Analysis and Mapping Procedure (LAMP) and for the concerns of Louisiana residents to be shared with the agency as they prepare the rollout of these changes across our nation.