Homebuilders back the National Flood Insurance Program

ent from New Orleans and Florida coastal communities, it is essential that the NFIP must continue to allow state and local governments, not the federal government, the authority to shape local land use policies and make decisions on how private property may be used.

Failing to take all of these other factors into account, the Chronicle unfairly implies that builders are primarily responsible for the massive damage in the wake of Harvey. It alleges builders acted with impunity and went on a development binge in flood plain areas in order to maximize profits. This theory is patently false on several fronts. New construction is built to guidelines set forward by local and federal requirements, and builders follow those guidelines when constructing new homes within a 100-year flood plain. They do not act on their own accord, as the Chronicle suggests.

Builders also only build where homeowners want to live. If a local government deems an area fit for residential building, flood insurance and mitigation standards allow homebuyers and homeowners the opportunity to live in a home of their choice in a location of their choice, even when the home lies in or near a flood plain.

The NFIP creates a strong partnership between state and local governments by requiring them to enact and enforce flood plain management measures, including building requirements that are designed to ensure occupant safety and reduce future flood damage. However, this partnership depends upon the availability of comprehensive, up-to-date flood maps and an insurance program that allows local communities to direct development where it best suits the needs of their constituents and consumers.

As Congress moves to reauthorize the NFIP, the nation’s homebuilders support efforts to ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency has the necessary authority to make claim payments, provide mitigation assistance, reform mapping standards and fully implement the flood insurance program in a predictable and reliable manner that will safeguard its solvency.

The National Association of Home Builders has a long history of supporting the NFIP and is committed to ensuring that it remains a viable and affordable program to its policyholders while being mindful of the costs to the American taxpayer.

The Chronicle has it all wrong. Homebuilders are not the problem; we are actively working to be part of the solution. Granger MacDonald, a Kerrville-based builder and developer with 40 years of experience in the homebuilding industry, is the National Association of Home Builders’ 2017 chairman of the board of directors.