Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our friend John Winkler, General manager of Papio, Missouri River
Natural Resources District. John, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Very always a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You bet. And we heard in that Bloomberg report there
what the average premium for homeowners insurance in this country
is now twenty four hundred dollars. Oh yeah, well yes, and.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's not counting if you have to have flood insurance.
So flood insurance you could spend three four hundred dollars
a month on an average home. Businesses, they won't even
give you a quote. You have to call an agent
to get one. It's it's thousands of dollars a year
for a.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Business, which brings me to your email, which is why
I'm having John on this morning because he pointed out
something that this is like the classic example a federal
bureaucratic bloat and what it costs us. You guys have
done so much work, John, over the last I don't
know how many years on flood mitigation here in the
(00:57):
area with dams and levees, and and yet you can't
get FEMA to acknowledge it so that insurers can charge less.
That's one of the problems.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Right, That's correct.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
How does this work? Why won't they Well.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So we've started this process. Those firm maps, the Federal
insurance rating maps, well, banks use them, financial institutions use
them if you need flood insurance. And then communities use
them like our cities and counties to make development decisions
where you can build and where you can't build. So
there's kind of two components to it. So we are
(01:32):
basically operating off maps that were last updated in the nineties.
So in two thousand and seven we started the process
of remapping the entire Papillion Creek Watershed, which includes Douglas
County start the county, little part of Washington, and so
that started in two thousand and seven. We've actually gone
(01:54):
through it's been eighteen years, and we don't have final
maps completed for people to take advantage of all that
work that you just talked about. So so right now
we've actually been through three or four different FEMA subcontractors
and we have actually, uh, there was were the maps
(02:17):
are supposed to be done in twenty thirteen. They changed
it to nineteen, they changed it to twenty four, then
it was twenty twenty five, twenty twenty seven, and now
we just got an update that it won't be until
twenty twenty nine. So I started with the NRD in
two thousand and six. I planned the exit at twenty
thirty two. I'll be lucky if my entire career with
(02:40):
the NRD we have updated and finalized floodplain maps.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
This is out right now, what do they not believe you?
What I mean? This is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, and so that's what we say. We said, what
what is the what is the issue? And it's it's
just the bureaucratic morass. It's they're in a they're archaic,
they're inflexible, you know, like I said, they change consultants,
they change like you change jockeys in a horse race.
(03:11):
And so we've got communities, we've got developers. There's probably
literally hundreds of millions of dollars of projects that could
be started that are not because these maps are not finalized,
and they go, well, they can use the old the
preliminary maps, but there's a caveat there. The preliminary maps
(03:31):
can only be used if the floodplane is more restrictive.
So if you actually benefited from all the work that's
been done in the watershed for fifty years, you can't
use the preliminary maps because it benefits you. So we
have homeowners that are paying you know, those premiums, those
floodshirtes premiums or businesses that should not be paying them.
(03:53):
And so, and we've got development that's sitting there waiting
on drawing boards that should be started that is not
it's hosting people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Can you give me an example of one or two
of those projects that that would be great for our
area that camp to get started.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, yeah, so so example to City Patilion, They've got
several community projects there that they cannot get get going
because the maps are not completed. I know of a developer.
I probably can't state what they were doing, but they've
got apartments, mixed use facilities UH in Sarpe County that
they will not start and they probably can't get financing
(04:30):
until that project is taken out of the flood plain floodway.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Which cabinet department is FEMA, the Housing and Urban Development so.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
There, Well know they're under Homeland security now because the
Federal Emergency Management. See our our congressional delegation has been
absolutely fantastic to work with their staff, their senator or
Senator Fisher and Ricketts, Conyerson, Flood and Bacon. They've all
been all over FEMA constantly with letters, with call and
(05:01):
we just they just keep moving the goal post, and
thus we tell them, we tell them, you are costing
our constituents, you know, a lot of money. Could you
imagine a homeowner that could have three or four hundred
dollars a month pocket? Yeah? Pay four.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I don't want to put you on the spot. Can
you get could do you have a ballpark figure of
the percentage of homeowners in your jurisdiction and the in
the in the NRD that would save significant money on
homeowners insurance? How many of us we don't have.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We don't have a percentage, but we have calculated that
with the new maps, once they're finalized and all of
the work that we've done in the watershed, with the
with the flood control reservoirs and the levees, three thousand
parcels will be taken out of the flood plane.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Right And it probably won't happen. John, John, it's going
to happen. Will retire before this, I don't say it's
not gonna happen. Well, that's negative twenty twenty nine. Come on,
look we're going to be out of power by twenty
thirty three. Why worry about fluds.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It will happen. But it's not happening. I mean, twenty
two years to get a map and the impact it
has is absolutely ridiculous. I do not know how you know.
And sometimes you talk to people and they're like, hey, yeah,
that's just the government, and it's like, no, it cannot
(06:29):
be tolerated. It really needs to And I know we're
starting an effort to try to get some of the
funds out of the hands of the federal agencies and
get them more directly to local agencies like ourselves that
can do. We could have had these maps literally done
in two to three years.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, unbelievable. John, thanks always so good to have you
on great info. That's John Winkler, Papio, Missouri River NRD.
These people
Our friend John Winkler, General manager of Papio, Missouri River
Natural Resources District. John, good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Very always a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You bet. And we heard in that Bloomberg report there
what the average premium for homeowners insurance in this country
is now twenty four hundred dollars. Oh yeah, well yes, and.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's not counting if you have to have flood insurance.
So flood insurance you could spend three four hundred dollars
a month on an average home. Businesses, they won't even
give you a quote. You have to call an agent
to get one. It's it's thousands of dollars a year
for a.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Business, which brings me to your email, which is why
I'm having John on this morning because he pointed out
something that this is like the classic example a federal
bureaucratic bloat and what it costs us. You guys have
done so much work, John, over the last I don't
know how many years on flood mitigation here in the
(00:57):
area with dams and levees, and and yet you can't
get FEMA to acknowledge it so that insurers can charge less.
That's one of the problems.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Right, That's correct.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
How does this work? Why won't they Well.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
So we've started this process. Those firm maps, the Federal
insurance rating maps, well, banks use them, financial institutions use
them if you need flood insurance. And then communities use
them like our cities and counties to make development decisions
where you can build and where you can't build. So
there's kind of two components to it. So we are
(01:32):
basically operating off maps that were last updated in the nineties.
So in two thousand and seven we started the process
of remapping the entire Papillion Creek Watershed, which includes Douglas
County start the county, little part of Washington, and so
that started in two thousand and seven. We've actually gone
(01:54):
through it's been eighteen years, and we don't have final
maps completed for people to take advantage of all that
work that you just talked about. So so right now
we've actually been through three or four different FEMA subcontractors
and we have actually, uh, there was were the maps
(02:17):
are supposed to be done in twenty thirteen. They changed
it to nineteen, they changed it to twenty four, then
it was twenty twenty five, twenty twenty seven, and now
we just got an update that it won't be until
twenty twenty nine. So I started with the NRD in
two thousand and six. I planned the exit at twenty
thirty two. I'll be lucky if my entire career with
(02:40):
the NRD we have updated and finalized floodplain maps.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
This is out right now, what do they not believe you?
What I mean? This is unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, and so that's what we say. We said, what
what is the what is the issue? And it's it's
just the bureaucratic morass. It's they're in a they're archaic,
they're inflexible, you know, like I said, they change consultants,
they change like you change jockeys in a horse race.
(03:11):
And so we've got communities, we've got developers. There's probably
literally hundreds of millions of dollars of projects that could
be started that are not because these maps are not finalized,
and they go, well, they can use the old the
preliminary maps, but there's a caveat there. The preliminary maps
(03:31):
can only be used if the floodplane is more restrictive.
So if you actually benefited from all the work that's
been done in the watershed for fifty years, you can't
use the preliminary maps because it benefits you. So we
have homeowners that are paying you know, those premiums, those
floodshirtes premiums or businesses that should not be paying them.
(03:53):
And so, and we've got development that's sitting there waiting
on drawing boards that should be started that is not
it's hosting people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Can you give me an example of one or two
of those projects that that would be great for our
area that camp to get started.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, yeah, so so example to City Patilion, They've got
several community projects there that they cannot get get going
because the maps are not completed. I know of a developer.
I probably can't state what they were doing, but they've
got apartments, mixed use facilities UH in Sarpe County that
they will not start and they probably can't get financing
(04:30):
until that project is taken out of the flood plain floodway.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Which cabinet department is FEMA, the Housing and Urban Development so.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
There, Well know they're under Homeland security now because the
Federal Emergency Management. See our our congressional delegation has been
absolutely fantastic to work with their staff, their senator or
Senator Fisher and Ricketts, Conyerson, Flood and Bacon. They've all
been all over FEMA constantly with letters, with call and
(05:01):
we just they just keep moving the goal post, and
thus we tell them, we tell them, you are costing
our constituents, you know, a lot of money. Could you
imagine a homeowner that could have three or four hundred
dollars a month pocket? Yeah? Pay four.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I don't want to put you on the spot. Can
you get could do you have a ballpark figure of
the percentage of homeowners in your jurisdiction and the in
the in the NRD that would save significant money on
homeowners insurance? How many of us we don't have.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We don't have a percentage, but we have calculated that
with the new maps, once they're finalized and all of
the work that we've done in the watershed, with the
with the flood control reservoirs and the levees, three thousand
parcels will be taken out of the flood plane.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Right And it probably won't happen. John, John, it's going
to happen. Will retire before this, I don't say it's
not gonna happen. Well, that's negative twenty twenty nine. Come on,
look we're going to be out of power by twenty
thirty three. Why worry about fluds.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It will happen. But it's not happening. I mean, twenty
two years to get a map and the impact it
has is absolutely ridiculous. I do not know how you know.
And sometimes you talk to people and they're like, hey, yeah,
that's just the government, and it's like, no, it cannot
(06:29):
be tolerated. It really needs to And I know we're
starting an effort to try to get some of the
funds out of the hands of the federal agencies and
get them more directly to local agencies like ourselves that
can do. We could have had these maps literally done
in two to three years.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, unbelievable. John, thanks always so good to have you
on great info. That's John Winkler, Papio, Missouri River NRD.
These people
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