FEMA and Natural Disasters

The coast of North Carolina has been affected by numerous hurricanes and other natural disasters.  I am  deeply committed to working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that the citizens of Eastern North Carolina have adequate resources in the event that a natural disaster damages our coast.  

Legislative Action in the 113th Congress

Cosponsored Legislation

H.R. 1267 - Flood Insurance Premium Relief Act of 2013 - Would allow both newly purchased properties and properties affected by updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps to maintain their current insurance rates for one year, and it would mandate that later changes to the rates be phased in at a gradual increase over the span of a decade.

H.R. 3013 - Home Protection Act of 2013 - Would delay implementation of certain sections of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act to allow further discussion between local stakeholders and FEMA.

Signed Letters

Letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator William Craig Fugate requesting that FEMA take administrative action to address the increases in flood insurance cost caused by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.  If FEMA lacks the power to implement a change on its own, the letter requests the agency to make recommendations to Congress.

Letter to House and Senate leadership advocating for a one-year delay in implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program rate increases stemming from the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.

Letter to House leadership requesting that language allowing a one-year delay in implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program rate increases be included in any legislation used to fund the government in Fiscal Year 2014.

Related Actions

Congressman Jones assisted in securing $8.95 million in Hurricane Sandy disaster dollars for the Oregon Inlet, which is critical to North Carolina’s coastal economy.

Congressman Jones voted in favor of an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014 that blocks the rate increases imposed by the Bigger-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.  The amendment passed the House and was adopted in the Senate Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations.