FEMA Awards 'Outstanding' Contributions to National Flood Insurance Program
The Federal Insurance Administration (FIA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), recently recognized several private-sector and governmental partners with special awards for their "outstanding" contributions to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
The program makes National Flood Insurance available in communities that adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations to reduce future flood damage. Nationwide, more than 4 million policies are in force in over 18,700 participating communities, representing more than $460 billion worth of coverage. The NFIP is a self-supporting program with claims and operating expenses being paid from policyholders' premiums, not taxpayer dollars. In the 30-year history of the NFIP, it has paid $8.6 billion in claims for flood losses.
FIA Administrator JoAnn Howard presented the awards at the annual National Flood Conference held recently in Atlanta, GA. This year's conference focused on the requirement for the mandatory purchase of flood insurance, underwriting, claims, legal issues, floodplain management and marketing.
The Agency of the Year Award was given to three insurance agencies for their intensive marketing strategies, superior policy growth, adherence to established underwriting guidelines and participation in flood-awareness activities. The winners were Warner and Company Insurance, Fargo, ND; Kinghorn Insurance Agency, Hilton Head, SC; and AAA Insurance Agency, Tampa, FL.
The Administrator's Club Award goes to those companies that sell and service National Flood Insurance and have achieved significant growth in new policies. The company with the highest percentage of growth and more than 2,000 new policies wins the Administrator's Cup. This year's winners were American Bankers Insurance Company, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty, First Community Insurance Company, Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Administrator's Cup winner) and Universal Insurance Company.
Winners of the Public Awareness Materials Contest were selected by the conference participants after viewing all the materials on display. The winners were Union American Insurance Company (brochures and specialty items), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (envelopes), First Community Insurance Company (kits), The Travelers Insurance Company (mailing inserts), Hartford Underwriters (print/video advertisements), Bankers Insurance Company (Spanish-language materials), USAA (training materials) and National Con-Serv., Inc. (newsletter).
The first recipient of a new award, the Roy T. Short Memorial Award was Rosalie Douglass, vice president of Escrow Administration, AccuBanc Mortgage Corporation. The award is given by the National Lenders' Insurance Council to an "innovative and inspiring" lender who has gone beyond the normal role of a lender in reducing flood losses. It is presented in memory of Roy T. Short, former vice president of the Council and Bank United.
The Donald L. Collins Partnership Award is named for the late FIA executive who died in 1995. During more than 20 years with FIA, Collins fostered a close working relationship with the insurance industry and was largely responsible for the industry's goodwill toward the NFIP. The award was presented this year to Bernard Kulik, associate administrator for disaster assistance at the U.S. Small Business Administration.