In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, what government does only adds to the harm in terms of unwise subsidies.
As opposed to developing countries that are underinsured against natural disasters, America has the opposite problem:the federal government subsides the insurance premiums of vulnerable houses.
The National Flood Insurance Programme (NFIP) has been underfunded because it fails to charge enough to cover its risk of losses. Underpricing encourages the building of new houses while discouraging removal and renovation of old ones existing owners from renovating or moving out.
According to one report, the houses that repeatedly flood account for only 1% of NFIP properties but 25%-30% of its claims.
contend with sth
[kən'tend]verb 就不得不面对
■to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation必须处理，必须应对（困境或不愉快的事）
grapple with sth
■to try to deal with or understand a difficult problem or subject尽力解决；设法对付；尽量克服
•Today, many Americans are still grappling with the issue of race.今天，仍有许多美国人还没有克服种族歧视的观念。
