Hurricane season opened June 1, just as it does every year. And it will be with us through Nov. 30, just as it is every year. The Senate left for its Memorial Day recess, as did the House, on May 31. They do this every year, too. So we could conclude all is right with the world, or at least it's on schedule. All is not right, though. What do hurricane season and the congressional calendar have in common? More than you think, at least this year.

The National Flood Insurance Program expired at 12:01 on June 1 after Congress left town for the Memorial Day recess without acting on legislation that would extend the program. While the House passed H.R. 4213, which contains an NFIP authorization through Dec. 31, 2010, senators donned their sunglasses, flip-flops and deck shoes, and then went on holiday. Meanwhile, millions of would-be home and business owners cannot close on their loans without this coverage, stalling their moves and possibly delaying employment for those waiting to go to work for these businesses. If the economic and housing market recoveries weren't fragile enough, they were made more so by this thoughtless inaction.

NFIP provides a level of stability and protection for homeowners and businesses against flood events, which are both unpredictable and costly. Beyond compare in recent times was the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Flood coverage helped millions of homeowners and business owners rebuild their lives and resume their operations. While hurricane damage provides either the best or worst example, the NFIP is intended to cover all homes and businesses located in flood zones. Katrina was certainly bad, but so were the Illinois-Missouri floods of the 1990s, the periodic North Dakota floods and, the most recent example, this past week's disaster in Arkansas. People with coverage in those areas were taken care of. Meanwhile, new policies cannot be issued nor can coverage be increased or renewed for current policy holders. This, of course, puts lenders at risk, too, until Congress acts.?As reckless as it was to leave town without addressing this, the problem goes beyond just this reauthorization. Our federal legislators are in the habit of serially reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program for short periods. When NFIP expired June 1, it was the third time this year. Since September 2008 seven short-term extensions have been granted. Not only is this irresponsible on the part of our elected officials, it's inefficient and ineffective.