Pennsylvania Insurance Department Urges Property Owners to Consider Flood Insurance& Provides Tips to Cut Premiums

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2015

Pennsylvania Insurance Department Urges Property Owners to Consider Flood Insurance& Provides Tips to Cut Premiums

Harrisburg, PA - Acting Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller today reminded Pennsylvanians that spring flooding is common throughout the state, and urged property owners to consider purchasing flood insurance to protect their homes, businesses, and possessions.  The recommendation is part of the department's recognition of National Flood Awareness Week, March 15-21.

"Melting snow, combined with spring rains, inadequate drainage, excessive runoff, or dam failure can cause major damage, so I recommend homeowners and business owners talk about flood coverage with their insurance professional as soon as possible," Miller said.  "Standard homeowner policies do not include coverage for flood damage, and there is a 30-day waiting period before a policy becomes effective.  The sooner you get coverage the better."

Figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency show Pennsylvania residents filed nearly 18,000 flood insurance claims in the nine years from 2006 through 2014, and received more than $551 million in payments.  Claims were filed from every county except Fulton.  "These statistics show flooding is a serious problem throughout all of Pennsylvania," Miller said.

Information detailing coverage and how to obtain flood insurance can be found at www.floodsmart.org, the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program, a federally-funded resource for flood victims.

There are also certain precautions property owners can take to lower the chance of suffering major flood damage. Among these are:

*         Install a sump pump and make sure it is working; install a battery-operated backup in case of a power failure.

*         Install "check valves" to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home.

*         Seal walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds.

*         Clear debris from gutters and downspouts.

*         Anchor any fuel tanks.

*         Elevate your furnace, water heater, washer, dryer, and electric panel, if you live in a high flood risk area.

"If you have taken these or other steps to lessen the potential for costly flood damage, make sure you talk with your insurance professional about any premium reductions for which you may be eligible under your policy," Miller said.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is continuing an update of maps which show flooding risks for individual properties.  If your property is mapped out of a high-risk area, your flood insurance costs will likely decrease. If you've been mapped into a high-risk area, you will be required to purchase flood insurance if your mortgage is through a federally regulated or insured lender. But you can save money with the Preferred Risk Policy (Eligibility Extension and through a process known as "grandfathering" provided by the NFIP. If your property was newly mapped into a high-risk flood zone after October 1, 2008, you may qualify for a PRP flood insurance policy.

Property owners can also challenge a flood map they feel is inaccurate.  Information on how to challenge a flood map is available at http://msc.fema.gov/portal.

More information on what property owners can do to lessen potential flood damage, and possibly lower premiums, is available at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program.

Also, for insurance purposes, be sure to keep a written and visual (i.e., video or photographic) record of all major household items and valuables, even those stored in basements, attics or garages. Create files that include serial numbers and store receipts for major appliances and electronics. Have jewelry and artwork appraised. These documents are critically important when filing insurance claims. For more information, visit www.knowyourstuff.org.

Additional information on preparing your family to meet an emergency is found at www.ReadyPa.org.

For more information on insurance products and protections go to www.insurance.pa.gov <http://www.insurance.pa.gov/>  or call 877-881-6388.

MEDIA CONTACT:   Ron Ruman, Insurance Department, 717-787-3289

Penn State webinar October 29 discusses Pennsylvania climate and drought

The next Penn State Water Resources Extension webinar on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST will discuss Is Pennsylvania Becoming Drought Resistant?  The presenter will be Paul Knight, the Pennsylvania State Climatologist and Senior Lecturer at Penn State University. 
 
When: Wednesday,  October 29, 2014 - 12:00 to 1:00 PM 
Title: Is Pennsylvania Becoming Drought Resistant? 
Presenter: Paul Knight, the Pennsylvania State Climatologist and Senior Lecturer at Penn State University.
Where: the live webinar can be viewed at https://meeting.psu.edu/water1

Webinar description:
While there have been several notable dry spells since the era of warming began in the 1980's, a sustained drought appears to be rare compared with the decades prior. Climate models predict more frequent droughts over the continents in decades to come, but virtually none of these models forecast that precipitation would increase by 10% during the last century. Should we be planning for an unprecedented dry time in Pennsylvania? We will explore that possibility. 

About the Presenter:
Paul Knight is the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. He is a senior lecturer of synoptic meteorology at Penn State University and the manager of the Weather Communications Group. Paul was the senior forecaster for The New York Times from 1986-2009.He along with four other colleagues produced the weather page for the Times and International Herald Tribune. Paul is also producer, co-host and on-camera meteorologist Weather World, a fifteen minute, weeknight weather magazine show which was seen on 3 PBS stations in Pennsylvania for more than 30 years and is also broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network and Penn State's Public Television Station (WPSU).

How to Participate

·  The live webinar will occur from 12:00 to 1:00 PM and is accessible at: https://meeting.psu.edu/water1

·  You can access this webinar simply by signing in as a "guest".

·  Taped versions of each webinar in the series are available at:http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/past-webinars

·  If you have not registered for past water webinars, please visit the following website to register so we can keep you updated about futurewebinar offerings: http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/schedule/registration

·  If this will be your first webinar, you may want to test your computer and internet connection for compatibility at: https://meeting.psu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

WREN Article - Biglerville's Source Water Protection Program

The June issue of the Water Resources Education Network (WREN) newsletter, Water Policy News, has a feature article on Biglerville’s effort to develop a DEP-approved source water protection program.  Read the article HERE.

Protect Your Groundwater Day, September 9, 2014

Protect Your Groundwater Day (PYGWD) is coming up on September 9, 2014. That’s still plenty of time to prepare to help raise public awareness about the importance of groundwater and water well stewardship for the health of the public and the environment.  Visit the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) web page to find useful, educational information to share through your web sites, social media, newsletters, news releases, and events.  

http://sourcewaternews.asdwa.org/2014/07/25/protect-your-groundwater-day-is-coming-up-on-september-9th/

http://www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/groundwater-day/Pages/default.aspx

DEP Hosts Open House for Activities in Streams and Wetlands

News for Immediate Release

June 12, 2014

DEP Hosts Open House for Activities in Streams and Wetlands
Harrisburg-The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it will host an open house from 10a.m. to 7p.m. on Thursday, June 26, for property owners, homeowners, municipalities and small developers to learn about permitted activities in and along streams and wetlands.
The open house will be held at DEP's South-central Regional Office on 909 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg.
"The open house will provide people with a chance to have 'face time' with department permitting staff and ask questions about permitting requirements for stream and wetland activities," South-central Regional Director Lynn Langer said. "This is an educational opportunity that should not be missed because we often find the public is unaware that certain permits are required."
Typically during the summer, DEP receives a higher volume of complaints from the public regarding work in streams and wetlands. DEP frequently finds that dredging, which is cleaning out a stream; filling in or draining wetlands, also known as ditching; placing fill in a floodway to build-up the property; relocating a stream; stabilizing a stream bank; and installing culverts,  bridges, boat docks or ramps have occurred without permits. Before conducting any of these activities, people should consult first with DEP's Waterways and Wetlands Program.
During the open house, stations will be set up where staff from DEP's Waterways and Wetlands program will be ready to assist; answering questions ranging from stream bank stabilization projects to installation of driveway culverts to small land development projects. Staff will also be available to identify required permits for stream, wetland, pond, lake, and creek and river projects, conduct Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory searches and explain permit application requirements.
People attending the event are encouraged to bring pictures and descriptions with them if they have a question about the potential presence of a stream, wetland or area of where a project will be located.
The open house is intended for people who have questions or a project in the South-central Region. DEP's South-central Regional office serves Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York counties.
For more information about the open house or waterways and wetlands permitting activities, call DEP's Waterways and Wetlands Program at 717-705-4802.
Media Contact: Lisa Kasianowitz, 717-787-1323
Source: Department of Environmental Protection South-central Regional Office
###

Upcoming Outreach Events on Water Issues

Penn State Extension Workshop on Ensuring Water Quality in Your Watershed

 

Penn State Extension will hold a workshop on high priority watershed issues affecting water quality and quantity in Pennsylvania on June 9 at the York Water Company Education Center in York. Topics include: Green Infrastructure, Riparian Buffers & Maintenance, Conservation Easements, Invasive Species Management and Control.

There is a nominal registration fee and the deadline to register is June 3.  Additional information and the link for online registration is available athttp://www.cvent.com/events/ensuring-water-quality-in-your-watershed/event-summary-6d26e4cbe74f4914a6d18abf86af0ab6.aspx

 

 

2014 PA Ground Water Association (PGWA) Summer Field Conference on Using Stiff-Foam to Air-Rotary Drill through Caving Overburden

 

For the 13^th consecutive year, PGWA is waiving the registration fee for local, state, and federal government agency staff along with students, faculty, Master Well Owners, and Authority/Commission members or employees to attend the PGWA Summer Field Conference.  The field conference will be held on Friday June 13 at PGWA’s well demonstration site just west of State College (same site as last year – beside the Home Depot near Exit 69 of I-99).  This year's conference will demonstrate the use of Stiff-Foam to air-rotary drill through caving overburden. The Stiff-Foam drilling method uses significantly less air volume and creates a pseudo-wall-cake to minimize the collapsing of the caving overburden and to decrease the erosion of the borehole wall.  The foam also carries drill cuttings up the annular space to the surface.

 

This innovative drilling approach offers another option to overcome caving overburden conditions encountered during water well and geothermal borehole drilling.  The proper drilling and construction of any well is critical for protecting ground water quality and PGWA’s summer field conference is one of several initiatives by the group to provide outreach on the subject.  Large equipment and products used for water well construction, operation, and decommissioning along with the components of geothermal heat pump systems will also be on display.  A session on long-term water level monitoring to better characterize an aquifer will also be provided.  PGWA is offering 4.5 Professional Development Hours to licensed Professional Geologists and Professional Engineers who attend the entire program.  Advance registration is required and the deadline to register is June 6.  Lunch will be provided.  Additional details and the online registration link can be found at www.pgwa.org

Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection Partnership Meeting

 

The next meeting of the Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection (SWP) Partnership will be held on July 2 in Harrisburg.  The Partnership is a group of water utilities and municipal/county officials interested in protecting drinking water in the Lower Susquehanna region.  The Partnership has been focusing on land-use planning and emergency preparedness/response as ways to enhance source water protection.  The July 2 meeting will cover the planning process and tools to enhance SWP efforts, SWP and emergency response nexus, PA Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN), case studies of recent spills (chemical spill on Elk River in West Virginia and the train derailment in Lynchburg, VA) and MS4 mapping strategies.  If you are interested in attending this meeting, please contact Patrick Bowling (gbowling@pa.gov or 717-772-3600).

 

PA Rural Water Association Short Course on Source Water Protection – Managing Risks

 

The PA Rural Water Association will be offering a short course that will enable water system operators and managers to understand their source water assessment results and to develop/implement effective source water protection area management approaches to minimize risks to their drinking water sources.  The course will be held on July 23 at the Aspire Hotel & Suites at the Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center complex near Gettysburg.  There is a registration fee to attend and the course is worth 6 contact hours for eligible PA-certified drinking water operators.  Additional details and registration info can be found at http://www.prwa.com/content/source-water-protection-managing-risks-7-23-2014

Public meeting on GMA-York Water connection

On Tuesday, March 25^th a public information meeting was hosted at the Adams County Agricultural Center by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the proposed connection between the Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) and the York Water Company.  This connection would allow GMA to purchase water from York Water resulting in an interbasin transfer of water from the Susquehanna River basin to the Potomac River basin, the reason the connection has to be approved by SRBC and DEP.  Presentations were made by SRBC and DEP describing the procedure for reviewing and approving applications for water allocations.  GMA gave a presentation describing the process they used to determine the need for the importation of water from York Water, their evaluation of alternatives and their projections for water demand in the future.  In addition to the presentations by the hosts, 16 members of the audience spoke during the meeting, voicing varying views of the proposed interconnection and water purchase.  An article appeared in the March 26, 2014 edition of the Gettysburg Times.