WASHINGTON (NAMC) - Roseville, Calif., has the Nation’s first-ever top-rated floodplain management program and its citizens are receiving an unprecedented 45-percent discount on their flood insurance premiums because of it, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). More than 40 other communities nationwide will also see flood insurance premium savings.
“These communities' voluntary activities have earned dramatically lower flood insurance premiums as well as peace of mind for their citizens,” said FEMA Director David Paulison. “Thanks to the vision and efforts of these local officials, property owners should experience less flood damage in the future. Just as we encourage people to become more disaster-resistant by buying flood insurance, communities like Roseville and others have accepted that responsibility as well and are affording their residents the benefit of paying less for their flood insurance coverage.”
Roseville earned the first-ever Class 1 Community recognition out of more than 1,000 participants in the NFIP’s Community Rating System (CRS) thanks to special efforts by local officials to reduce future flood losses including measures to educate residents about flooding, change zoning rules and/or building regulations, preserve floodplain open space, and other mitigation steps.
Nearly 3.4 million policyholders in 1049 communities now benefit from the rating system which rewards communities that voluntarily take steps beyond the minimum requirements of the NFIP to reduce flood risks and increase the effectiveness of flood insurance protection. Such activities can fall under one or more of the following categories: flood preparedness; flood damage reduction; mapping and regulations; and public awareness. Roseville is among 46 communities nationwide recognized this week by the NFIP for outstanding mitigation work.
“Steps taken to reduce or eliminate disaster damage, called Mitigation, have been shown to save $4 in disaster-related losses for every $1 spent,” said FEMA’s Mitigation Director David Maurstad. “It’s encouraging that so many communities nationwide take such an active role in preparing for the future and in protecting their most important resources: their citizens.”
Premium discounts resulting from these CRS activities range in five-percent increments from Class 9 (five percent) to Class 1 (45 percent). For example, a community rated as a Class 9 will have premiums reduced five percent, a Class 8 community will receive a ten percent reduction, and so on. A list of communities recently qualifying for premium reductions follows.
Under the NFIP, federally backed flood insurance is made available to homeowners, renters and business owners in communities that adopt and enforce local ordinances that reduce future flood losses by regulating new construction. Currently, more than 5.2 million flood insurance policies are in force in more than 20,000 participating communities nationwide, representing more than $969 billion worth of coverage.
For information about flood insurance, property owners should contact their insurance agent, visit
www.floodsmart.gov, or call the NFIP's toll-free information line at 1-800-427-4661. Flood insurance information is also available at the U.S. Government’s or on FEMA’s website at
www.fema.gov/nfip/ Communities Which Have Changed CRS Classes
State Community Name CRS Classification (former – new)
AR Hot Springs 9-8
CA Roseville 5-1
CA San Leandro 10-8
CO Boulder Co. 8-7
CO Thornton 8-7
FL Alachua Co. 8-7
FL Brevard Co. 8-7
FL Gainesville 8-7
FL Miami Lakes 10-6
FL Palm Beach Co. 7-6
FL Palm Beach Gardens 9-8
FL Pensacola 8-7
FL Sebastian 9-8
FL Tallahassee 7-6
FL West Palm Beach 7-6
ID Nez Perce Co. 9-7
IL Carpentersville 10-8
IL Rock Island Co. 10-7
IL Sugar Grove 10-7
IN Hancock Co. 9-8
IN Noblesville 7-5
KY Bowling Green 8-7
KY Warren County 8-7
MI Saugatuck 10-8
MI Saginaw Twp. 10-9
MI Vassar 10-6
MS Waveland 6-5
NJ Rochelle Park 10-8
NJ Seaside Park 10-8
NC Raleigh 8-7
NC Tarboro 10-8
OK Sand Springs 8-6
OK Stillwater 9-8
OR Albany 8-7
OR Tillamook 10-8
PA Danville 10-8
TN Knoxville 9-8
TN Nashville/Davison Co. 9-8
TX Austin 8-7
TX Benbrook 7-6
UT Moab 9-8
VA Roanoke County 9-8
WA Skagit County 6-5
WA Whatcom County 7-6
WI Elm Grove 8-6
WV Jefferson County 10-9
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
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