Disaster Planning, Politics, and Payment

Half of the US population lives in coastal areas, but 100% of the population foots a portion of the insurance bill. And as storm event strength is trending upward with global warming, the inlanders are getting less excited about that payment stream.

1 minute read

September 9, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

By Hazel Borys


When the rains fall and the floods come, who pays the bills? Ben Brown lays out the politics:

"Many of us live in a subsidized dream world where we can wish away our troubles and our accountability for addressing them. And when someone waves an invoice in front of us, we're peeved at being bothered. We wring our hands over the mounting debt load, but hold onto our sense of entitlement."

"What makes paying for disaster events different from most of the other bills coming due is that, when the wind blows and the waters rise, it's a lot harder to turn over and drift back to dream land."

Thanks to Hazel Borys

Friday, September 9, 2011 in PlaceShakers

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