The [tag]flood program[/tag] has been something of a blessing for owners in states where hurricane winds and tree damage have sent other insurance soaring. Rate increases have been relatively low for [tag]flood coverage[/tag], which private companies don’t provide on their own, and the government is begging people to sign up as the next hurricane season approaches.

Congress is expected to decide this summer whether to raise rates on hundreds of thousands of flood policies — a leading proposal would target vacation properties — and expand the mandatory flood insurance condition on federally backed mortgages to zones not previously considered too risky. Such reforms would add another insurance burden to property owners in hurricane-prone states. For example, Florida’s statebacked insurance program is in the red and private property coverage is already straining bank accounts. Florida property owners also hold 2 million of the nation’s 4.9 million federal flood policies, which suggests the pain of reforming that program would be acute there.

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