--- description: Floods are getting worse thanks to climate change and the nation's flood insurance program may not be able to handle it title: John Oliver says floods are 'Despacito' of natural disasters image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f8008e00c04951b/6988e108656a3f42edbd2022/gettyimages-483444506.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Late Night Comedy](/tag/late-night-comedy/) ## Late Night Comedy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John Oliver Says Floods Are the 'Despacito' of Natural Disasters by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 30, 2017 6:51 AM CUT  John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video on Aug. 8, 2015. John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video on Aug. 8, 2015.Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 30, 2017 6:51 AM CUT “Floods were everywhere this summer,” explains John Oliver on Sunday night’s episode of _Last Week Tonight_. “Think of them as the ‘[Despacito](http://time.com/4923177/spotify-song-of-summer-2017/?iid=sr-link10 "undefined")’ of natural disasters — persistent, ubiquitous, and no fault of the [Puerto Rican government](http://time.com/4962204/luis-fonsi-john-leguizamo-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined").” Flooding hit Houston, Florida, [Puerto Rico](http://time.com/4959876/pitbull-private-jet-plane-puerto-rico/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") and many other locations around the U.S. this year alone, and floods are only going to get worse in the coming years due to climate change, according to Oliver. While floods are considered natural disasters, some of the damage they do is within humans’ control and our love of living near the seashore and in the path of flooding. People choose to live next to the water despite the risks that, according to Oliver, include “flooding or stepping on pointy sea shells, or mistakenly giving a Tostito to a seagull without realizing that means you’ll spend the rest of your life haunted by a Tostito-addicted seagull.” Most homeowners, especially those who purchased their homes with federal home loans, are insured by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), but the program needs serious revamping, according to [Oliver](http://time.com/4908330/john-oliver-nuclear-waste-last-week-tonight/ "undefined"). Floods hit the same areas so often that the federal government ends up repairing the same homes over and over again. Some of those so-called “repetitive lost properties” are the second homes of wealthy homeowners featured on reality television shows like _Buying the Beach_. However, according to Oliver most of the NFIP’s are people who truly need assistance. The NFIP is up for re-authorization next December and Oliver makes a good case for taking the opportunity to rethink how the program works. He also makes a good case for never giving a Tostito to a “flying beach rat.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5001935/john-oliver-floods-despacito/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5001935/john-oliver-floods-despacito/"},"headline":"John Oliver Says Floods Are the 'Despacito' of Natural Disasters","datePublished":"2017-10-30T06:51:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T11:20:40.737Z","description":"Oliver says floods are getting worse because of climate change, and the nation's insurance program may not be able to handle it","url":"https://time.com/5001935/john-oliver-floods-despacito/","keywords":["Late Night Comedy","Television","climate change","John Oliver","Last Week Tonight","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f8008e00c04951b/6988e108656a3f42edbd2022/gettyimages-483444506.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f8008e00c04951b/6988e108656a3f42edbd2022/gettyimages-483444506.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards","caption":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards","creditText":"Frederick M. 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