More than 25 percent of the nation's rail freight runs through the flood zone.

"The only way you can get these people out of the flood zone is to buy them out," he said.

The flood zone represented 67 percent of the industrial area in the city.

But in some parts of the flood zone it will be many months, and perhaps even years, before life is fully normal again.

Most of the flood zone can be reached only by helicopter.

Though more than 4.8 million people have the policies, that includes only about half the households in the flood zones.

The other is that the state might buy back the properties in the flood zones, offering fair market value.

Although along the river, much of the borough is not in a flood zone.

The state hopes to have some money available to help homeowners in the flood zone who did not buy insurance.

The water companies also agreed to move two historic houses out of the flood zone.