T HE C OMMUNITY R ATING S YSTEM (CRS) Voluntary NFIP program offers - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

May 19, 2015 L OCAL G OVERNMENT S OLUTIONS : T HE NFIP C OMMUNITY R ATING S YSTEM Mary-Carson Stiff, Director of Policy, Wetlands Watch Roy Hoagland, Director, Virginia Coastal Policy Center, W&M Law Closing the Deal: How to respond to the new realities of flood insurance

T HE C OMMUNITY R ATING S YSTEM (CRS) • Voluntary NFIP program offers discounts on flood insurance to reward good floodplain management within a community Various activities to • improve floodplain management/earn credit Administered by “community” = government • division with land use authority (locality)

CRS R ATING T ABLE Class ¡ Points ¡ Premium ¡Reduc2on ¡ 1 ¡ 4500+ ¡ 45% ¡ 2 ¡ 4000-­‑4499 ¡ 40% ¡ 3 ¡ 3500-­‑3999 ¡ 35% ¡ 4 ¡ 3000-­‑3499 ¡ 30% ¡ 5 ¡ 2500-­‑2999 ¡ 25% ¡ 6 ¡ 2000-­‑2499 ¡ 20% ¡ 7 ¡ 1500-­‑1999 ¡ 15% ¡ 8 ¡ 1000-­‑1499 ¡ 10% ¡ 9 ¡ 500-­‑999 ¡ 5% ¡ 10 ¡ 0-­‑499 ¡ 0% ¡

CRS A CTIVITY E XAMPLES Public Information • • Outreach, hazard disclosure • Mapping and Regulations • Open space preservation, stormwater management regulations, GIS • Flood Damage Reduction • Acquisition/relocation, mitigation, floodplain management planning • Warning and Response • Flood emergency management, dams, levees

V IRGINIA AND THE CRS • 23 participating VA communities • Class 5: City of Alexandria • In 2013, 55,000 policyholders in VA saved $3 million in premium costs

V IRGINIA AND THE CRS Source: ¡Federal ¡Emergency ¡Management ¡Agency ¡

CRS C OST S AVINGS : G LOUCESTER (C LASS 7)

CRS C OST S AVINGS : M ATHEWS (N OT IN CRS)

L OCAL G OVERNMENTS S HOULD J OIN THE CRS Why local governments decide not to join CRS • • Staff time & local government $$ to join and remain in CRS Local government doesn’t benefit financially from CRS • • Why they should join Protecting health, safety, & welfare of citizens • Benefits of disaster clean up, which saves taxpayers $ • • Every $1 spent on disaster mitigation saves $4 in disaster clean up Adopting a program that hits citizens’ pocketbooks • Locality owned buildings with NFIP policies receive • reductions just like private businesses & homeowners

CRS A CTIVITY E XAMPLE #1: F REEBOARD S AVES $$$ • Requiring new buildings are built to a safe height (freeboard) – written into local government ordinance

CRS A CTIVITY E XAMPLE #1: R EGIONAL F REEBOARDS Local ¡ Freeboard ¡ Local ¡ Freeboard ¡ Government ¡ Ordinance ¡ Government ¡ Ordinance ¡ Cape Charles 1 Foot Northumberland County 2 Feet Richmond 1 Foot Roanoke 2 Feet Southampton County 1 Foot Virginia Beach 2 Feet Newport News 1 Foot (proposing 2) Hampton 3 Feet Chesapeake 1.5 Feet Norfolk 3 Feet Isle of Wight County 1.5 Feet Poquoson 3 Feet Lancaster 1.5 Feet Wachapreague 3 Feet Portsmouth 1.5 Feet (proposing 3) York County 3 Feet Accomack County 2 Feet Franklin At Base Flood Elevation Chincoteague 2 Feet Mathews County At Base Flood Elevation Gloucester 2 Feet Suffolk At Base Flood Elevation James City County 2 Feet Williamsburg At Base Flood Elevation

CRS A CTIVITY E XAMPLE #2: S TRUCTURAL M ITIGATION Installing flood vents Elevating structures Source: www.FEMA.gov

CRS A CTIVITY E XAMPLE #3: R EAL E STATE F ACT S HEET Source : http://www.fema.gov/media-library- data/1382362442920- b8a016eaf474352c98d54787df1ab79 5/ F696_RealtorFactSheet_508C.PDF

U PDATE TO VA R ESIDENTIAL D ISCLOSURE L AW • HB 1642 / SB 775 - Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; representations related to special flood hazard areas • Reinforces “buyer-beware” mentality • Requires that the seller of property make “no representations with respect to whether the property is located in one or more special flood hazard areas and purchasers are advised to exercise whatever due diligence they deem necessary…” • Language will likely be included on the standard waiver form included in standard real estate transaction closing packet • More info: • http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+sum +HB1642

V IRGINIA C OASTAL P OLICY C ENTER : CRS R EVIEW • VCPC Partnership with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation • Students reviewed locality floodplain ordinances & identified areas local governments could receive potential CRS credit • Students wrote white paper on two major CRS programs where local governments could receive credits (stormwater and open space)

V IRGINIA C OASTAL P OLICY C ENTER : CRS R EVIEW

Q UESTIONS ? ¡ Mary-Carson Stiff, Director of Policy, Wetlands Watch: mc.stiff@wetlandswatch.org Roy Hoagland, Director, Virginia Coastal Policy Center, W&M Law rahoagland@wm.edu