The Nebraska native who’s the new director of the National Flood Insurance program is launching a campaign to get more people to buy flood insurance and to focus on addressing hazards ahead of time. Dave Maurstad says the effort is working to close the insurance gap.

Maurstad, a former Nebraska lieutenant governor, says one priority is to develop what he calls a “culture of preparedness” to help individuals and communities recover from disasters more quickly.

Maurstad says difficult, back-to-back hurricane seasons and events such as inland flooding, wildfires and mudslides helped shape the agency’s new strategy.