Wai Halana is published quarterly by the Department of
Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Engineering Division. It is supported by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) under the Community Assistance Program. The contents of this
publication is to increase awareness about the National Flood Insurance Program.
The authors and publishers are solely responsible for the accuracy, and do not necessarily
reflect the views of DLNR or FEMA.
Editor
Carol Tyau-Beam
Web Developer
Marilyn Gambone
Editorial Support
Elaine Keb
Engineering Division Chief
Eric Hirano
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The current and selected past issues are also available at:
We welcome your comments and suggestions, as well as newsworthy articles.
Your submissions may be sent to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Engineering
Division, P.O. Box 373, Honolulu, Hawaii 96809. If you'd like to receive Wai
Halana via email or wish to be removed from our mailing list, contact Elaine Keb
at (808) 587-0227.
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As a result of the recent floods, the State Civil Defense opened
a series of Disaster Assistance Recovery Centers (DARCs)
throughout Oahu a week after the December 11th floods. After
spending time at the DARCs, it became apparent to me that I
was hearing similar versions of the same tragedy about the
losses suffered by those affected by the flooding.
One elderly woman told me how she made it out of her house
just in time before the floodwaters rushed in and flooded the
inside of her home with 4 feet of muddy flood waters. The only
thing she could save was her birth certificate. I asked if she
had flood insurance. She simply replied, “No” with a saddened
look in her eyes. We sat together looking through FEMA’s
flood maps and determined that her home was located in a
high hazard flood zone
(AE Floodway). When I asked if she
had paid off her mortgage, she said, “Yes”, she further explained
that is why she dropped
her flood |
insurance coverage.
To my amazement, this woman’s story wasn’t unique. I
heard similar stories from other homeowners.
Regrettably, one homeowner dropped her flood insurance
coverage in October of this year because she said her insurance
agent told her she didn’t need it anymore since the
mortgage had been paid off. She lost everything in the
December floods and says she doesn’t know how she’s going
to rebuild.
Homeowner’s need to remember that although the mandatory
requirement to purchase flood insurance is removed
because they paid off their mortgage, their home has not
been removed from being in a high risk flood zone.
Another common complaint echoed by homeowners: “my
insurance agent never told me my contents weren’t covered
in my flood insurance policy, I just assumed it was included
since the bank said I needed flood insurance.” Regardless
if fingers are pointed at agents neglecting to offer content
coverage or a policy holder’s lack of understanding of their
policy coverage, this oversight has left many property owners
utterly devastated.
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