mr. prible, what about municipal damage? new york subway system. is that new york city? and income are the insured through private broker? >> guest: new york city, based on what i've read and what i've understand, anticipate they do not have flood insurance to the flood insurance program. they anticipate asking the federal government for help in the form of grants, in the form of disaster grants to help cover the cost of recovery for those kinds of transit programs. >> host: but would a city have private insurance as well? >> guest: yes come a city absolutely could purchase private insurance. municipalities, but would likely not cover flood insurance -- flood damage. >> host: john prible is the vice president of that group. numbers are on the screen to do to participate in our conversation about the national flood insurance program. we'll begin with frank and placita, florida. hi, frank. >> caller: good morning, gentlemen. since i live in flood them in unfamiliar with fema insurance, it doesn't cover on the first floor except equipment. so the losses those people suffere

mr. prible thank you for taking my call. i don't want to take away from the seriousness of the east coast. i live on the susquehanna river in pennsylvania. there is a multimillion-dollar flood control 3 miles from the the has been there from the '60s or '70s. i have recently been required to have fled insurance. i have two years to go with my mortgage. i have been dealing with fema and amaya insurance company and it is so hard. insurance is expensive. it is hard to protest the findings because the maps are outdated. i am at my wit's end what to do. obviously i have to pay it. the mortgage companies are requiring it to. it is $2,000 per year. that is almost my remortgage to be honest. >> host: total? or just the flood. >> guest: only the flood part. that just covers the structure and does not cover the contents. i some what understand but i don't know where to go. >> guest: i certainly sympathize. we hear from a lot of consumers that this is happening and the policy makers have been hearing edo's wall. with the flood insuranc

mr. prible, would -- if you live in a flood prone zone, and it has to be labeled as such, you have to buylood insurance, correct? guest: yes, if you have a mortgage that is federally backed. essentially, if you have a mortgage. host: the app device through nfip or through a broker? guest: you can buy it through a broker. host: is it expensive? guest: it depends on where you live and what flood zone. i will give you a couple prices. the cheapest flood insurance policy out there runs you about $129 a year. $10 or $11 a month. that is if you are in a very low-risk area. host: not new orleans. guest: right. your average premium runs about $600 a year. again, not terribly expensive. there are zones that are going to be more expensive. those will be the highest risk zones, those most likely to flood. it is a very fine line to walk. you want to keep the program affordable so that consumers purchase the policy and are protected, yet you also want to make sure the program is charging the accurate rates so it does not go bankrupt. so it's a delicate balance. again, the act that was signed into law