In this Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, file photo people stand outside their home in floodwaters in New Orleans.

(Brett Duke/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP)

At a Glance

The federal insurance program provides roughly $1.25 trillion in coverage to 5 million policy holders.The program was adopted in the 1970safter some homeowners became uninsurable in the private sector.Many of 30,000properties identified have flooded five times every two to three years, on average.

Homes destroyed by floods in high-risk areas are frequently rebuilt over and over underfederal insurance programs, leaving residents feeling trapped and unable to relocate to safer places, a new report said.

According to the ""reportfrom theNatural Resources Defense Council, the National Flood Insurance Program repeatedly rebuilds homesin flood-prone areas even though many homeowners would prefer to relocate.

"The National Flood Insurance Program was designed to help Americans recover from flood disasters, but it can also unintentionally trap homeowners who would prefer to move somewhere safer," the . "Instead of moving out of harm’s way, many policyholders find themselves rebuilding their homes again and again."

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The report notes that for every $100 the nation spends to rebuild homes with national flood insurance funds, the Federal Emergency Management Agency spends$1.72 to move them to other areas.

The NFIP, which provides about, is up for reauthorization on Sept. 30, and Congress is frantically working to negotiate reforms to the program before the deadline.

Should the deadline pass without reauthorization, property owners currently covered would still have coverage, but no new policies could be issued, and that could have big impacts on the housing market.

"It means you can't buy or sell a home in these areas without insurance," Rachel Cleetus, lead economist and climate policy manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told weather.com earlier this week.

NRDC has asked Congress to make several changes to the programthat was adopted in the 1970safter some homeowners became uninsurable in the private sector. Today, standard homeowners insurance does not cover external flooding.

Included in the NRDC recommendations is an end to the "flood, rebuild, repeat" mindset.

"Flood insurance traps homeowners in a situation no one wants to be in: forced to rebuild in a location that will inevitably flood again. It’s time to start helping people move to higher ground, ," Rob Moore, lead report author and senior policy analyst with NRDC’s Water Program, told Property Casualty 360.

The study foundmore than30,000 "severe repetitive loss properties" have been insured through the NFIP, according to FEMA data acquired by the NRDC. Many of theseproperties have flooded an average five times every two to three years.

In addition, nearly one in 10 of the 30,000 properties – most of which are located in Louisiana, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Missouri – received claim payouts that added up to more than the value of the structure.

The NRDC recommendedCongress provide homeowners with a guaranteed buyout if they choose not to rebuild. They also suggest that laws require the disclosure of flood history on a structure so potential buyers are well-informed, and that more detailed maps be made available to the public and developers.