Frequently Asked Questions

National Committees

• Intergovernmental Flood Risk Management Committee (IFRMC)
• Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force (FIFM-TF)
• National Committee on Levee Safety

Intergovernmental Flood Risk Management Committee (IFRMC) 

This intergovernmental forum of representatives from USACE, FEMA, ASFPM, NAFSMA and ASDSO coordinates flood risk management programs and policies and allows key stakeholder groups, representing the non-federal perspective, to address policy and implementation issues faced at the state and local levels.

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Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force (FIFM-TF) 

This national level task force of representatives from federal agencies with major water resource programs, co-chaired by FEMA and USACE, is responsible for updating and maintaining a Unified National Program for Floodplain Management; coordinating federal agency policies for flood risk management; and identifying and recommending federal government actions and policies to reduce flood losses and improve safety for the floodplain residents.

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National Committee on Levee Safety

In Section 9003 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007, Congress created the National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS) to develop recommendations for a national levee safety program, including a strategic plan for implementation of the program.  The Committee consists of sixteen members from state and local governments, the private sector, and one each from USACE and FEMA.  The NCLS adopted the vision of an involved public and reliable levee systems working as part of an integrated approach to protect people and property from floods. They developed twenty recommendations for creating a National Levee Safety Program and presented these to Congress in Recommendations for a National Levee Safety Program:  A Report to Congress from the National Committee on Levee Safety (pdf, 5 MB), 15 January 2009 (Draft).

The specific recommendations of the NCLS for a National Levee Safety Program embrace three main concepts: (1) the need for leadership via a National Levee Safety Commission, which would support state delegated programs, provide national technical standards and risk communication, and coordinate environmental and safety concerns; (2) the building of strong levee safety programs in all states, which would provide oversight, regulation, and critical levee safety processes; and (3) a foundation of well-aligned federal agency programs.

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Reviewed 6 Jan 2011