While the idea has drawn some support from independent flood experts, it is unclear who would administer such a service or who would pay for it. Instead, the group has called for an independent service for homebuyers that would be similar to Carfax, the private entity that provides detailed information, including crash and flood history, to potential buyers of used cars. Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors is advocating for a nationwide flood disclosure system that would not rely on real estate agents. "It leads the buyer to rely on information from a nonprofessional, someone who has no expertise in flood hazard zones, no expertise in flood insurance requirements," Suit says. Terrie Suit, the CEO of the association, says the group didn't like that the legislation would have required sellers to disclose information about flood risk. The most recent bill failed in January after the Virginia Realtors association strongly opposed it. In Virginia, bills proposing new requirements have failed twice in the last two years. A bill that would close a loophole in New York's disclosure requirements has been pending in its state Legislature for months. Congress considered a nationwide disclosure requirement as part of an overhaul to the National Flood Insurance Program, but the plan went nowhere. One reason is that widespread flood risk has led elected officials of both parties to reject changes that could drive down their constituents' property values. He just falls asleep in my arms."Īfter hotter-than-average water in the Gulf of Mexico caused Hurricane Harvey to dump a record-breaking amount of rain in the Houston area in 2017, Texas passed a law that requires sellers to tell buyers whether a home is in a flood zone and whether they have flood insurance.īut similar attempts elsewhere have stalled. People were like, 'Does your 2-year-old nap?' No, he doesn't nap. They had to move in with family while they were repairing the house, which meant a lot of upheaval for their two small children. Loren Barilleau blames a miscarriage she experienced during that time partly on the stress from the flood. They had to borrow money to repair the damage.Īnd there were deeper effects. They thought they didn't need it because they were on an island of high ground. The flood was even more financially devastating because they didn't have flood insurance. In 2016, a rainstorm sent nearly 2 feet of water into their house. "We didn't buy in a flood zone because we don't want to be flooded."īut their home was still at significant risk for flooding, even though it wasn't technically in a flood zone. They saw on federal flood maps that "this house was like an island, surrounded by flooding areas," Loren Barilleau says. The Barilleaus thought they understood their home's flood risk before making an offer. They were displaced from the house for months after a flood in 2016. Lachlan (left) and Lillian Barilleau play in the backyard of their home in Central, La. In 27 of the 29 states with flood disclosure laws, potential buyers receive information about whether a house is prone to flooding only after they make an offer on the house, NPR found when it reviewed state statutes. Some of those states are among the most vulnerable to rising seas and climate-driven extreme rain, including Florida, Virginia and Massachusetts.Įven residents of states that do require flood risk disclosure often don't know that they live in harm's way until it's too late, because the information they receive from sellers, real estate agents and government agencies is confusing, incomplete or comes too late. Yet 21 states do not require any information about flood risk to be disclosed to homebuyers, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. One analysis found that more than 80% of presidential disaster declarations between 19 were for events that included flooding. The number of families in harm's way is growing as sea levels rise and extreme rain becomes more common. Many people who live in flood-prone areas do not know they are at risk. as sea levels rise and extreme rain becomes more common. Climate change means more flooding in much of the U.S.
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