Hurricane Sandy and the terrible nor'easter that followed it understandably got a lot of attention beyond the East Coast. But the twin storms prove once again the need for a national disaster insurance pool to help victims recover faster.
Earthquakes, floods and fires can strike many parts of the country. Southern states get hammered by hurricanes. Tornadoes ravage the Midwest. Northern states have to deal with blizzards or ice storms almost every the winter. Normally balmy Southeast Texas was even struck by a devastating ice storm in 1997.
Yet these events won't happen all at once. A national disaster insurance program would spread costs among all homeowners and allow each region to benefit from it when disaster strikes.
Congress needs to move beyond petty politics and think big on a challenge like this. We can't stop natural disasters, but we can deal with them in a smarter, comprehensive way.