the fact that zer0 cherry picks the neighborhoods that get the aid, by class and race, is a given. I am still against giving people Federally guaranteed flood insurance for people who decide to have their home and their vacation home on the barrier beaches or even waterfront houses in the ‘protected’ bays.
when I was single in 1979 I rented a house on a canal on the south shore of Long Island and kept my boat tied up in the backyard canal. When I got married a year later, the last place I looked for a home to buy was on the water. every 10 years is a small to medium hurricane or nor’easter ‘situation’ that will require at least minor structural repair of your home. once every 50 years or so comes the big one. Your house needs to be gutted at best or bulldozed at worst and I see no reason for my tax dollars be used to pay for this.
you want to live on the ocean so you can play.....you should be able to afford to rebuild. (folks who farm in flood planes are another thing.....this is where the best farmland generally is and I can see making insurance available for these folks.)
Back in 1976, the apartment we rented on MINGO street and Admiral in Tulsa, OK got flooded in the Memorial Day flood.
We got a federal disaster loan and had to pay back every penny with interest. We did. It took eight years but we did it.
Sandy was devastating. The assisted living homes are not luxury dwellings. In fact, Bellevue hospital was also flooded along with the entire neighborhood.
They should keep the money.
My relatives are still dealing with the after effects and the petty bureaucracy the handles claims. -And they pay taxes hugely.