John Oliver: Federal Flood Program Is Trapping Vulnerable Homeowners

Rebecca Shapiro

John Oliver turned to a puppet seagull to help him break down the devastating problems of the U.S. government’s federal flood insurance program.

The “Last Week Tonight” host offered a detailed report about how the National Flood Insurance Program actually hurts the most vulnerable of flood-prone homeowners.

“Essentially, a government program that was supposed to help people in flooded homes is sometimes trapping them inside them indefinitely,” Oliver said.

He then conversed with a Tostitos-obsessed puppet seagull to drive the point home.

Check it out in the video above.

As the segment aired on Sunday night, a storm pummeled the northeast. Flash flood and high wind warnings were in effect across New England and hundreds of thousands of people were without power.

It was also the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, one of the most destructive weather events in U.S. history. That storm caused affected 24 states and caused $71.4 billion in damage.

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A destroyed apartment complex is seen on Aug. 26, 2017, after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport, Texas.
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Donna Raney is helped out of the window by Lee Guerrero and Daisy Graham in Rockport.
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Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving her apartment in Rockport.
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Jacque McKay walks through the apartment complex where she lives in Rockport.
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A damaged mobile home in Victoria.
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A sunken boat at Rockport Harbor. 
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