RAA meets FEMA Review Council to propose reforms for national flood insurance programme

In early 2025, President Trump established the FEMA Review Council to propose reforms aimed at improving the nation’s emergency management and disaster response systems.

The Reinsurance Association of America (RAA), a trade association representing the US reinsurance industry, met with the Council this week to share recommendations for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The RAA outlined ideas focused on giving property owners more options, increasing market competition, and helping Americans recover financially from severe floods.

Frank Nutter, President of the RAA, stressed that the reinsurance sector is ready to play a key role. For nearly a decade, RAA members have supported both the NFIP and the private flood insurance market, showing how private reinsurance can reduce the federal government’s risk, safeguard taxpayers, and provide families, small businesses, and communities with critical financial resources after catastrophic flooding.

The RAA also highlighted the urgent need for reform. The Department of Homeland Security identifies floods as the most common natural disaster in the US, yet a Congressional Budget Office report found that 92% of at-risk properties lack NFIP coverage, leaving most Americans in flood-prone areas financially unprotected.

Nutter added: “We urge the Administration and Congress to reauthorise the NFIP and work with our industry and states to expand the private flood insurance market’s role and provide property owners more flood insurance options, rather than rely on limited federal aid after an event.”