The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a federal program, administered by FEMA, which makes subsidized flood insurance available in communities that agree to adopt corrective and preventative floodplain management regulations that will reduce future flood damages. Congress created the NFIP in 1968 with the passing of the National Flood Insurance Act. The Act was passed to address the fact that homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, which left much of the burden of flood recovery to the general taxpayer through federal disaster relief programs. In general, flood insurance from private companies is either not available or extremely expensive. NFIP flood insurance is available anywhere in a participating community, regardless of the flood zone. Federal law requires that flood insurance be purchased as a condition of federally insured financing used to secure buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) .
Fact Sheet - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 
FEMA NFIP Page: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/index.shtm
Floodsmart (Flood Insurance Website): www.floodsmart.gov
Answers to Questions about the NFIP: http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1404
NFIP Regulations: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_06/44cfrv1_06.html
Myths and Facts about the NFIP http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3002
NFIP Program Description: http://www.fema.gov/doc/plan/prevent/floodplain/nfipdescrip.doc
FEMA NFIP Publications: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/libfacts.shtm
Mandatory Purchase of Flood Insurance Guidelines: http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2954
Flood Insurance Policy and Claims Statistics: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/statistics/pcstat.shtm
FEMA Home Page: www.fema.gov