Louisiana Insurance Lawyer Blog

The NFIP will not be reauthorized by Congress by midnight of May 31, 2010. Therefore, the Program will experience a hiatus - a period without authority to:

• issue new policies for which application and premium payment dates are on or after June 1, 2010, or
• issue increased coverage on existing policies for which endorsement and premium payment dates are on or after June 1, 2010, or
• issue renewal policies for which the renewal premium is received by the company on or after June 1, 2010, and after the end of the 30-day renewal grace period, until Congress reauthorizes the Program.

While awaiting Congressional reauthorization, FEMA is issuing the guidance contained in the attached bulletin Within this bulletin, is a set of Frequently Asked Questions concerning NFIP authorization.

The hiatus period is expected to end soon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an "active to extremely active" 2010 hurricane season for the Atlantic with 14 to 23 named storms this season, of which 8 to 14 will turn into hurricanes and 3 to 7 of those will grow into major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

Colorado State University forecasters have issued similar predictions: 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.

Additional Resources:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology