Federal emergency officials in late February reported a surge in the number of California residents who have purchased flood insurance, most likely in response to a rainy El Ni帽o winter.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency said insurers wrote more than 55,500 new policies since Aug. 31, a 25 percent increase.
The number of new policies topped 27,000 in December alone, astonishing agency officials who say they haven’t witnessed this kind of an increase since the National Flood Insurance Program was created by Congress in 1968.
FEMA chalked up the uptick to greater awareness of El Ni帽o. However, the agency did not report increases in other western states also affected by El Ni帽o.
Strong El Ni帽o storms drenched parts of California in January.
It’s uncertain whether this season’s rains will rival that of El Ni帽o rains in 1997 and 1998, when storms killed more than a dozen people, washed out highways and wiped out crops.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Three Sentenced in Bear-Suit Attacks Insurance Fraud Case 
AI Ruling Prompts Warnings From Lawyers: Your Chats Could Be Used Against You 
Toilet Paper Warehouse Fire Investigators Review Viral Video 
Convicted Insurance Mogul Lindberg Should Pay $1.6B Restitution to Companies From This Issue
