Residents react to FEMA decision to pause flood insurance decrease

Reporter: Amy Galo Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

Residents of Cape Coral can breathe a sigh of relief tonight after FEMA announced its decision to put a pause on their decision to reduce flood insurance.

“It’s really important for people in these areas to have flood insurance,” said Glen Embrey

Embrey saw firsthand how important it is after Hurricane Ian flooded his home and FEMA insurance helped him recover.

“It did cover flooring, cabinets, baseboards, doors, you know, a lot of major things that really add up to be very expensive,” said Embrey

So when FEMA announced it would be stripping Cape Coral, and other municipalities, of their 25% Flood insurance discount, it was a major blow.

“We don’t need more bricks on our head. We got enough bruises up here.” Said Dennis, a Cape Coral resident.

“It would be a real challenge. I mean, homeowners insurance already went up so much” said Embrey

On Monday FEMA announced its decision to put a 30-day hold on the insurance decrease, giving affected areas, like Cape Coral, a chance to plead their case.

“They really need to sit down and really talk about it and figure it out for us people in Cape Coral,” said Embrey.

Senator Rick Scott told WINK News his staff met with FEMA and Lee County staff on Monday to discuss the hold.

Wink News will speak with Scott and Congressman Byron Donalds on Tuesday about their fight to get a hold in place.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.