Episode Details

A year after catastrophic floods ravaged the Texas Hill Country, communities like the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram—once a vibrant 70-year-old cultural hub—are rebuilding without flood insurance, relying on donations after losing everything. Across Texas, 45,000 policies have been canceled in the past year, part of a nationwide trend as homeowners and businesses are priced out. FEMA’s flood insurance program, born in 1968, now carries a $22 billion debt, and its new Risk Rating 2.0 system, meant to be fairer, has instead driven premiums up and coverage down. Some lawmakers, including Texas Senator John Cornyn, want to revert to the old system, but climate expert Zoe Middleton warns that’s short-sighted—real problem? Affordability. She urges Congress to mandate affordable coverage for vulnerable groups, arguing it’s essential for both individual recovery and community resilience. A recent FEMA review recommends tweaks to Risk Rating 2.0, not a rollback, and suggests bringing private insurers into the fold. Meanwhile, over $268 million in federal aid continues to flow to Texas recovery efforts.

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