--- title: The Risks of Hazard Blog | Intermap | FEMA description: FEMA | A blog that shows the power of location-based solutions in the world of insurance underwriting & risk management. --- [Investors](https://www.intermap.com/investors-2018-0) |[ Partners](https://www.intermap.com/partners-2018-0) |  [WebStore](https://store.intermap.com/MapShop.aspx?GeoLocation=World) [![Intermap Technologies Inc.](https://www.intermap.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Intermap%20Logo%202019%20-%20White.png?width=1656&height=277&name=Intermap%20Logo%202019%20-%20White.png "Intermap Technologies Inc.")](http://intermap.com) # [The Risks of Hazard](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog) ## [Is too big not enough?](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/is-too-big-not-enough) Posted by [Bill Raymor](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/author/bill-raymor) on May 16, 2018 8:18:05 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://www.intermap.com/hubfs/Blog/mlyn2038_hi-1.jpg) ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/is-too-big-not-enough) President Trump signed a hurricane relief bill that includes $16 billion in debt relief for the embattled National Flood Insurance Program. The flood program has a Congress mandated debt ceiling of $30.4 billion, which it reached during Harvey, Irma, and Maria (HIM). This action will allow U.S. Treasury funding of the program. **Is help on the way?** Well, kind of. Premiums are on the rise as the search for actuarial solvency continues for the NFIP. You can read the entire Insurance Journal article from April 5th titled [Federal Flood Insurance Average Premium to Rise 8%](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/04/02/485019.htm) but here is how it ends: ‘However the premium hikes are likely insufficient to keep the program from sinking into debt, according to a recent government report.’ **What is being done currently –** [Read More](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/is-too-big-not-enough) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/is-too-big-not-enough#comments-listing) Topics: [Flood Insurance](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-insurance), [Private Flood](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/private-flood), [FEMA](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema) ## [Feds Underestimating Flood Risk and ‘The Strangeness Index’  ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/feds-underestimating-flood-risk-and-the-strangeness-index-march-14-2018) Posted by [Bill Raymor](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/author/bill-raymor) on Mar 14, 2018 8:00:00 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://www.intermap.com/hubfs/images/Property.jpg) ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/feds-underestimating-flood-risk-and-the-strangeness-index-march-14-2018) PropertyCasualty360 published an [article](https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2017/12/13/does-federal-flood-data-underestimate-risk/?slreturn=20180212095823) in December, 2017 that begins with this eye-opening quote, “Research conducted by a team of U.S. and U.K. scientists and engineers suggests that U.S. federal flood maps underestimate the number of Americans at risk for flood by more than 27 million people.” A study from [IOPscience](http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaac65/meta) gave a more onerous estimate of 41 million Americans living on the 100 year floodplain. And, with a value of $5.5 trillion! In contrast, current FEMA estimates are around 13 million Americans. At the [2017 American Geophysical Union Meeting](https://fallmeeting.agu.org/2017/) Dec. 11-15 in New Orleans, scientists presented a ‘redrawn’ flood map of the U.S. (coastal areas excluded) simulating every river catchment area. Intermap’s InsitePro flood mapping tool uses a mathematical tree structure called the [Strahler Number](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strahler_number) to predict risk. It is a numbering system that correlates a numeric value to stream size from small tributaries to large riverways. The entire algorithm then uses our proprietary 5m seamless & contiguous bare earth elevation dataset to generate location specific flood risk scores. [Read More](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/feds-underestimating-flood-risk-and-the-strangeness-index-march-14-2018) 1 Comment [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/feds-underestimating-flood-risk-and-the-strangeness-index-march-14-2018#comments-listing) Topics: [Floods](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/floods), [Flood Insurance](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-insurance), [Flood Risk](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-risk), [Risk Scoring](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/risk-scoring), [FEMA](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema) ## [The Protection Gap Quantified](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2018/02/the-protection-gap-quantified-0-1) Posted by [Ivan P. Maddox](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/author/ivan-p-maddox) on Feb 13, 2018 3:43:19 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://www.intermap.com/hubfs/2017%20Houston%20Highway%20Flooded.jpg) ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2018/02/the-protection-gap-quantified-0-1) Last week Insurance Journal ran [a recap of the P/C Joint Industry Forum](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/02/07/479797.htm), held last month in NYC. If you underwrite flood or wildfire, go read it now and then come back here for a bit of commentary. If you are a blogger, chances are you have already read it. [Read More](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2018/02/the-protection-gap-quantified-0-1) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2018/02/the-protection-gap-quantified-0-1#comments-listing) Topics: [Flood Insurance](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-insurance), [Flood Risk](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-risk), [Insurance Protection Gap](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insurance-protection-gap), [FEMA](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema) ## [Harvey - A Look at Depth and BFE](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/12/harvey-a-look-at-depth-and-bfe-0-1) Posted by [Ivan Maddox](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/author/ivan-maddox) on Dec 13, 2017 9:07:03 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://www.intermap.com/hubfs/image002.jpg) ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/12/harvey-a-look-at-depth-and-bfe-0-1) Last week, [we wrote](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/12/flooding-was-not-even-a-possibility-said-the-builder-in-houston-0-1) about that [NYT article](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/us/houston-flood-zone-hurricane-harvey.html?smid=tw-nytclimate&smtyp=cur) that was the buzz of the flood community. As might have been expected, it created a little buzz. Below the line, an interesting conversation took place about flooding depths, BFEs, and how they relate to each other. There are a few thoughts in that commentary that are worth a deeper look this week. But first, a quick thank you to Christopher and Scott for their comments! [Read More](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/12/harvey-a-look-at-depth-and-bfe-0-1) 3 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/12/harvey-a-look-at-depth-and-bfe-0-1#comments-listing) Topics: [Floods](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/floods), [Flood Modeling](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-modeling), [FEMA](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema) ## [A Flood Program That Doesn’t Cover Houston? Really?](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/09/a-flood-program-that-doesnt-cover-houston-really-0-1) Posted by [Ivan Maddox](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/author/ivan-maddox) on Sep 6, 2017 7:50:00 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://www.intermap.com/hubfs/images/InsitePro/Houston-Flooded-Area.jpg) ](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/09/a-flood-program-that-doesnt-cover-houston-really-0-1) Inevitably, let’s check out Houston and Harvey. It’s not the [first](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2015/06/what-houston-floods-teach-us-about-managing-flood-risk) time we have looked at Houston (or the [second](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2015/06/about-that-houston-flood-analytic-i-recommended), [third](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2016/08/houston-flooding-again), or [fourth](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2016/09/where-not-when-in-houston)), because Harris County is the flooding capital of the Americas. Forget about 500 year flood zones – Houston has 6 month flood zones. [Read More](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/09/a-flood-program-that-doesnt-cover-houston-really-0-1) 9 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/2017/09/a-flood-program-that-doesnt-cover-houston-really-0-1#comments-listing) Topics: [Floods](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/floods), [Flood Insurance](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-insurance), [Flood Risk](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-risk), [FEMA](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema), [Houston](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/houston) [All posts](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/all) [Next](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/fema/page/2) ## [The Risks of Hazard Blog](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog)   [![rss-feed](https://www.intermap.com/hs-fs/hub/395294/file-2218415117-png/images/rss-feed.png?width=27&name=rss-feed.png)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/rss.xml) Welcome to The Risks of Hazard, brought to you by Intermap Technologies®. From the latest industry news and trends, to insight from thought leaders around the globe, stay tuned for a variety of content aimed at helping you better understand the role of location-based intelligence in the world of insurance underwriting and risk assessment. To see how Intermap delivers analytics tailored to your underwriting, visit our [InsitePro](https://www.intermap.com/software/insitepro) page. ### Subscribe to the Risks of Hazard blog! ### Posts by Topic - [Flood Insurance (64)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-insurance) - [Insurance Underwriting (62)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insurance-underwriting) - [Flood Risk (43)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-risk) - [Risk Management (42)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/risk-management) - [Insurance Protection Gap (32)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insurance-protection-gap) - [Private Flood (29)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/private-flood) - [Flood Modeling (28)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/flood-modeling) - [Property Insurance (26)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/property-insurance) - [Natural Hazard Risk (25)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/natural-hazard-risk) - [Natural Catastrophe (24)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/natural-catastrophe) - [Floods (23)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/floods) - [InsitePro (21)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insitepro) - [Risk Scoring (17)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/risk-scoring) - [Wildfire (17)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/wildfire) - [Insurance Software (16)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insurance-software) - [Insurance Technology (16)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/insurance-technology) - [Effective Underwriting (15)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/effective-underwriting) - [Earthquake (12)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/earthquake) - [Other Risk Models (11)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/other-risk-models) - [NFIP (10)](https://www.intermap.com/risks-of-hazard-blog/topic/nfip) ©2026 Intermap Technologies®. 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