Flood Insurance: What Berkshire County Homebuyers & Homeowners Need to Know

While we love our rivers, lakes and waterfalls here in the Berkshires, they do make us much more susceptible to flood from heavy rains, ice jams, snowmelt, and more. Whether you own or are planning to buy a home, it's equally imperative that you understand property flood risks, your coverage options, and how to protect yourself and your loved ones from a flood catastrophe.

Sharon MacEachern, AVP, operations manager for Greylock Insurance, a Berkshire County based neighborhood agency, reminds us that the unexpected can happen anytime, anywhere.

"In the past decade we've witnessed the devastating effects of two major storm systems, Hurricane Katrina and, closer to home, Superstorm Sandy," says MacEachern. "And we saw how damaging the resulting floods were to families, homes, neighborhoods and businesses, particularly in areas where there was little to no preparation."

One of the least prepared entities was our National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was financially drained by the long, slow, and significant recovery necessary to rebuild after these storms. Together, Katrina and Sandy left the NFIP drowning in $20 billion of debt. This enormous debt has had a serious and direct impact on homeowners who live in neighborhoods by the water, as well as potential buyers of these homes.

Starting with the Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 (or BW-12), the federal government has enacted programs to try to lower the NFIP's debt. However, the only major impact of new regulations has been to dramatically hike up flood insurance rates for policyholders in flood zones, particularly those in coastal areas, freezing the real estate markets in these areas.

There was also a perceptible slow-down in real estate activity in non-coastal areas like the Berkshires. The uncertainty around potential increases in flood premiums across the nation kept potential homebuyers away from river and lakefront properties and caused many current homeowners – maybe even yourself – to delay putting a home on the market. 

To allay the fears of both homebuyers and homeowners, the government enacted the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (or HFIAA), which rescinded or delayed many of the BW-12 rate increases. HFIAA still caused a flood of problems, however, when it increased the surcharge on secondary homes by $250. More reforms have followed, but none seem to have reversed the course of the NFIP's debt or the uncertainty of the flood insurance market. 

"There is a light up ahead for the flood insurance market though," MacEachern says. "As often happens, adversity is the father of invention. We have seen several private insurers start to enter the flood insurance market and they are delivering more cost-effective options to customers."

Here are some interesting examples of this private insurers movement:

• Lloyd's of London has many syndicates now writing individually risk-rated flood insurance at premiums substantially lower than the (NFIP). And with expanded definitions of flood, the ability to carry higher deductibles and contracts meeting the lenders' requirements for flood insurance, they are starting to gain popularity.
• Philadelphia Insurance Companies, in an unprecedented move, started to write Commercial Flood insurance as part of a package in favorable flood zones about 3 years ago. Like Lloyd's, their coverage is much broader than the NFIP.

How much could flood insurance through a private insurer save you? Sharon gave us some real-life anecdotes that demonstrate that customers have everything to gain by looking into this option:

• • Customer A had an NFIP Policy with $159,000 in coverage and a $2,000 deductible for $3,214 a year. Greylock Insurance placed the policy with Lloyd's and got the customer $219,000 in coverage with a $5,000 deductible for $855 a year. That's a $2,359 savings/year.
  • Customer B had an NFIP Policy with $107,500 in coverage and a $5,000 deductible for $1,938 a year. Greylock Insurance placed the policy with Lloyd's and got the customer $180,000 in coverage with a $5,000 deductible at $720 a year. That's a $1,218 savings/year.

Private insurer stories like these are causing the federal government to take notice. Hearings in Washington at the beginning of the year included conversations about the role that the private market could play in helping find a flood insurance marketplace solution.

"There's no time like the present," says MacEachern. "The current NFIP plan is due to expire in September of 2017, and it's time for all interested parties to come together to formulate a plan."

Most industry participants support a balance between the private insurance market and the availability of coverage through NFIP in order to weather the long-term risk of floods and lessen the impact of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

While there is still uncertainty, MacEachern believes that positive changes are coming for homeowners in flood zones and homebuyers who desire a coastal, riverfront or lakeside home. 

"One thing for certain is that Berkshire homeowners should understand their flood risk, their coverage options, and how to protect themselves and loved ones from a flood catastrophe," she says. "As Berkshire's neighborhood insurance agency, Greylock Insurance is particularly suited to guide you through your community's rating system and help you complete the required forms to get coverage for your home and its contents. We will gladly help you navigate the complicated waters of this complex industry."

For assistance or a free quote, please call 888-200-4445.

Drury High Students Get a Taste of Local Beef

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:25PM / Saturday, November 07, 2026

The pilot program is being funded by a $180K federal grant and is part of a partnership of Berkshire Agricultural Ventures and Mass Farms to School. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury High School students don't have to ask "where's the beef" from, now that the school has partnered to bring local meat into its food service system.

Nonprofit Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) is partnering with Mass Farms to School to bring locally produced ground beef to school cafeterias as part of a pilot initiative funded by a $180,133 USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant. The program is named for the retired Vermont senator who wrote the original legislation in 2010. 

North Adams Public Schools is one of two school district partners on the pilot project, Lenox being the other. 

BAV hopes the project can takeoff and expand into more schools or institutions. 

"We're really hoping that it takes off, and that we, in the sense of we can work with, or more schools can be part of this in the future, and we can kind of work out the kinks, which I think is part of what this is all about" said Audrey Hackett, BAV's communications and development manager.

She said part of the nonprofit's mission is to help strengthen the local food system and work with local farmers.

"Part of BAV's larger work to strengthen our local food system. So a lot of what we do is work directly with farmers and support a lot of livestock farmers," she said. "More than 40 percent of our farmers in our region are livestock, and so we work directly with them oftentimes, but it's also increasingly an opportunity to work, you know, a level up at the food system level to bring together partners for projects like this that bring more local food into to our not only our schools. I mean, there are lots of opportunities across institutions throughout our region, hospitals, prison systems, nursing homes, and all of that remains to be done." 

Last week, students were having burgers made from meat brought by Marty's Local, a regional food distributor that works with more than 160 farms and food producers. 

Marty's Local CMO Sandra Thomas said it was great to partner with BAV to help bring the meat to the school, citing that getting more local meat into the market fills a gap in the local food system. Thomas was able to work with Cherry Point Beef, a Western Mass distributor that sources cattle from four local farms.

Food Services Director Thomas Lark said they are excited to be a part of the program and that it's important to be able to showcase local food on the menu, especially for the students to be able to try these new things.

"We want them to see local food on the menu, to know that it's coming from somewhere they recognize. A lot of the time with school lunch, there's a little impression of like, oh, what's this? Where did this come from?" he said. "And so, this is a great way to say, this is what it is. This is where it comes from. Like, it's just down the road. You've driven past here before, and have them understand that, like, we're serving local stuff too. It's not mystery meat from far away."

Lark also said they have been working with the meat since earlier this year, testing out new ideas to bring to the students like a Korean beef bowl.

"Was a new thing, but we thought new ingredient, new recipe, let's really highlight it, and it was pretty successful. We're running it again next Monday. Actually, Marty's truck was here this morning delivering the beef for next Monday, and we're going to run that again. And that was one where the students who were willing to try it really liked it, and were telling their friends like, "Oh, you should have gotten this." So we're excited for Monday, we'll probably see even more kids trying it out," he said.

The North Adams Public Schools were highlighted last year by the state for its farm-to-school initiatives to bring fresh, local produce to students. 

A couple students who had the burger for lunch said it was good.