Flood Insurance Disparities: Lessons from Florida and Kentucky

Two of the worst U.S. floods in 2022 ravaged homes, destroyed businesses and forced residents to evacuate for weeks.

But homeowners in Florida and Kentucky are getting wildly different payments from a federal flood insurance program crucial to rebuilding and recovery.

Florida residents whose homes were flooded by Hurricane Ian in September have received far more money on average from the National Flood Insurance Program than eastern Kentucky residents hit by a historic deluge in July, an E&E News analysis shows.

The average NFIP payment to Florida households is $91,000. In Kentucky, it’s $49,000.