Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Two reasons make the page 6B article in the Aug. 16 Gazette-Journal ("Review insurance policies") timely and important. Reason One is to address all aspects involving hurricane preparedness. Reason Two relates to the inherent, but non-natural potential disaster; the comments on flood insurance.

"Flood insurance" makes the list with other artificial terms. Floods are uninsurable within the usual import of the word. The flood "insurance" program is really a national public subsidy causing economic distortions.

Gazette-Journal readers are sophisticated enough to grasp the real transaction: Public funds are collected via taxes to fund a risk-management program that the market refuses to deal with. It is not a risk, but a guaranteed loss.

Proper emergency preparations will allow readers to properly handle the hurricanes.

There are other perils requiring diligent discussions and efforts. The flood peril must be addressed before we’re alerted to an a...