Perhaps there are costs associated with emergency aid during a crisis. But then the solution is to force people to buy 'crisis cover' from private insurance companies. When a crisis occurs, the government collects the payout from the insurance companies.
Because the cost ends up showing up in other ways. Maybe it costs more due to social safety nets needing to take care of those who lose their houses without the means to replace them. Maybe it means an increase in crime as those who lost homes/stuff get desperate if they can't recover from such a loss financially.
> But then the solution is to force people to buy 'crisis cover' from private insurance companies.
I see you are not opposed to government intervention, you just want it in a different form.
That's right - I want it in a reduced, more efficient form.
Personally I don't think the government should bail out property damage of people whose risks go bad and who don't have insurance. But I can accept that maybe this is the minority opinion - but even in this case it's still more efficient for people to be forced to buy private insurance rather than have the government say 'you must pay us $X flood risk premium' or 'you cannot build here'. Private insurance companies (with money on the line) will more accurately assess flood risks than a government official (who has no financial interest in the accuracy of his assessment).
Maybe if the legislature did not have to respond to the populace... is that the more efficient form of government you prefer?
The US government is in the best position to take on a lot of that risk in part because in most states the flood plains are also actively managed by the government. A lot of flood plains have levees and dams and reservoirs that are at least monitored by the US Army Corps of Engineers, if not built and/or maintained by them as well. In the case of a flood event too, it's the US Government that is supposed to act as the primary active management agency (FEMA and in turn it's delegations to the National Guard), presumably mitigating risks during the course of an event (assuming proper management) or taking direct responsibility for mistakes in crisis.
[1] https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program
(Disclosure: Working as a consultant for the USACE on a semi-related project. I do not speak for my government or my employer; any mistakes or opinions are my own.)