Insurance Chief Asks FEMA to Waive Rule for University of Iowa

Iowa’s insurance commissioner is backing the University of Iowa in a dispute with the federal government over how much insurance the campus must carry after rebuilding from the 2008 flood.

Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive a requirement that the university obtain flood insurance for each building rather than the campus as a whole.

He says the university’s $250 million blanket policy is enough to protect against flood damage.

FEMA hasn’t decided whether to grant the waiver requested by Gerhart in his Sept. 28 letter. The issue is important because the university must satisfy FEMA insurance requirements to obtain millions of dollars the agency has promised to rebuild from the 2008 flood.

University officials say buying coverage for each building would be unreasonable.