|
|
Frequently Asked QuestionsFEMA Related Programs
What is the Community Rating System (CRS)?The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program within the NFIP that recognizes and encourages communities to undertake floodplain management activities that exceed minimum NFIP requirements. Flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk that results from community actions to: (1) reduce flood losses, (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating, and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance. For CRS communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted in increments of 5 percent. For example, a Class 1 community would receive a 45-percent premium discount for properties located in FEMA-designated SFHAs, while a Class 9 community would receive a 5-percent discount. The CRS classes for communities are based on 18 creditable activities, organized under four categories: (i) Public Information, (ii) Mapping and Regulations, (iii) Flood Damage Reduction, and (iv) Flood Preparedness. More information about the Community Rating system can be found at http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/crs.shtm. What is FEMA’s Map Modernization Program?FEMA’s Flood Map Modernization Program, also referred to as Map Mod, was a multi-year, multi-billion dollar effort to digitize and update Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The goal was to provide easily accessible, digital flood maps. This program’s last year of funding was FY09. Map Mod has transitioned into the Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning Program, also referred to as Risk MAP. An important element of Map Mod was Procedure Memorandum 34, reiterating FEMA’s continuing requirement that levees be appropriately certified and accredited if they are to be shown as providing protection on new FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). What is Risk MAP?Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) is a new FEMA program that provides communities with flood information and tools they can use to enhance their mitigation plans and better protect their citizens. Through more accurate flood maps, risk assessment tools, and outreach support, Risk MAP builds on Map Modernization and strengthens local ability to make informed decisions about reducing risk. Risk MAP’s ultimate goal is saving lives and dollars. Through collaboration with state, local and tribal entities, Risk MAP focuses on products and services beyond the traditional DFIRM, which is primarily used to set flood insurance rates and communicate 1-percent-annual-chance flood risk. FEMA will advise officials on how to effectively communicate risk to citizens and create corresponding mitigation plans that work. What is a DFIRM?A Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) is the FEMA mapping product to show where flooding occurs and where flood insurance is required. DFIRMs are produced using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and include a supporting database. The DIFRM database was the flagship product of FEMA’s Map Modernization Program and increased the usability of flood risk data. It continues to be central to Risk MAP. The DFIRM and supporting database has the following advantages:
As of October 2009, FEMA stopped issuing paper FIRMS, except for one copy for each community, when new flood maps are issued. Current effective maps and historic maps are available from the FEMA Map Service Center at http://msc.fema.gov. What is the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL)?The NFHL is a database repository that contains the digital flood hazard information collected for new flood map studies and Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs). FEMA created the NFHL to provide stakeholders with an alternative method to access flood hazard information captured in DFIRMs and LOMRs. The NFHL is an important component of FEMA’s Digital Vision – an initiative to reduce reliance on paper maps in favor of digital mapping data. Distribution of DFIRM and LOMR data through the NFHL lowers distribution costs and reduces the need for static map images through FEMA’s MSC. The NFHL data layer is made available to program stakeholders through:
The NFHL is available though the MSC at http://www.msc.fema.gov. What is a Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL)?The Provisionally Accredited Levee, or PAL, was established by FEMA’s Procedure Memorandum 43 in September 2006 and updated to accommodate the USACE Maintenance Deficient Corrective Program (MDCP) procedures in March 2007. A PAL is a levee system that local government believes can be accredited and certified, but data is not immediately available to document its certification status. During the two-year period when the community is obtaining the necessary data to confirm the levees certification status, FEMA will show the protected area behind the PAL on the DFIRM as a moderate-risk flood zone (i.e., a shaded X Zone). The two-year period is not intended to allow time for levee repairs. A PAL disclaimer will appear on all FIRMS, notifying the public that only a provisional accreditation has been granted. If a community fails to submit the appropriate certification documentation in the two years, FEMA may take 18 months to revise the map and issue a new FIRM disaccrediting the levee and placing the area behind the levee into a high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?A Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is shown on the DFIRM as the land area covered by the floodwaters of the base (one-percent-annual-chance) flood. SFHAs represent high risk flooding areas and are labeled on the DFIRM as Zone A or V. The SFHA is the area where the NFIP’s floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. The owner of a structure is a high-risk area must carry flood insurance if the owner carries a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender or servicer. How can a community request a Flood Insurance Study (FIS)?As FEMA moves forward with Risk MAP, new approaches for determining flood risks will be implemented. As part of this effort, FEMA is using a watershed-based Coordinated Needs Management Strategy, or CNMS, to track the assessment process, document engineering gaps and their resolution, and prioritize flood map updates. In order to provide the best maps possible, FEMA works with local stakeholders, including floodplain administrators, to ensure all information on the flood maps is up-to-date and accurate. Local floodplain administrators play a key role in this process. Communities requesting map updates should contact their FEMA Regional Office. FEMA will determine the priority for identifying new study areas and updating areas already studied based on need, risk, available topographic data, and the community’s contribution to the flood study. How can a community revise a FIRM?There are different ways that a FIRM can be physically revised:
Why does the map say a structure is in a high-risk flood zone when the property in which it sits is at a relatively high elevation?FIRMs cannot reflect every variation in the physical geography of an area. Therefore, a FIRM will occasionally show a property as being in the high-risk flood zone (zones starting with A or V), even though the building or surrounding ground may be above the BFE. As a result, FEMA has developed procedures for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or if fill has been placed, a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F), to determine whether a specific property/structure lies within the SFHA. This determination requires the requestor to submit property information that allows FEMA to make a flood zone determination based on the property/structure’s location and elevation. More information about this process can be found at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/fmc_loma.shtm or by calling the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) toll-free at 1-877-336-2627. What is a LOMA?A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is an amendment to the currently effective FEMA FIRM that determines whether a specific property/structure lies within the SFHA. If a property/structure is found to lie outside of a SFHA either by location or elevation, the mandatory flood insurance requirements of the NFIP no longer apply. More information on the LOMA process can be found at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/ot_lmreq.shtm. What is a LOMR?A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is an official physical revision of the currently effective FEMA map. This process has the effect of revising the FIRM without reprinting the affected FIRM map panel(s). A LOMR is submitted to FEMA by the local community and upon approval, officially changes flood zone delineations and elevations. More information about the LOMR process can be found at http:/fema.gov/plan/prevent/floodplain/nfipkeywords/lomr.shtm. Can USACE submit a LOMR at the completion of a project?The USACE can provide the community with all the necessary information gathered during the mapping study and construction of the project if the project will change flood hazards shown on the FIRM. This information can include the certification of levee(s) if the appropriate certification documentation has been completed (EC 1110-2-6067). The chief executive officer of the local community can submit the LOMR package to FEMA for review. Where can I find more information about the maps that were used to determine relative risk level?Flood maps are produced as a joint effort between a local community and FEMA. Once the study is complete, FEMA publishes the FIRMS. One set of paper copies of the new maps is provided to the local community and is kept on file in the Community Map Repository, which is typically found in the community’s planning and zoning or engineering department. Along with the FIRMS, FEMA also publishes a Flood Insurance Study (FIS) Report that also is provided to the community and documents the detailed hydrologic and hydraulic analyses used to model the one-percent-annual chance flood event, determine BFEs, and designate floodways and high risk zones in the area that was studied. Digital copies of the FIRMs and FIS reports are available to view or purchase at http://www.msc.fema.gov. Is flood damage from wind-driven rain covered by flood insurance?No. When rain enters through a wind-damaged window or door, or comes through a hole in a wall or roof, the NFIP considers the resulting ponding to be wind storm-related. FEMA defines a flood as “A general and temporary condition of partial to complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties from overflow of inland or tidal waters, from unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source, or from mudflow.” Are there limits to NFIP flood insurance coverage?Residential building coverage is limited to $250,000 and $100,000 for contents. For non-residential structures, coverage is available up to $500,000 and $500,000 for contents. Condominium associations can obtain coverage up to $250,000 times the number of units in the building. Private insurance companies offer Excess Flood Insurance, which provides higher limits of coverage than the NFIP. (These products are not associated with the NFIP.) More information about flood insurance and its coverages can be found at http://www.FloodSmart.gov. How have recent hurricanes affected the NFIP?Because of the NFIP’s multi-billion dollar debt caused by thousands of claims for flood damage from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, Congress is looking closely at ways to improve the NFIP, both in rates and coverage. The Louisiana Mapping Project (http://lamappingproject.com/) and the Mississippi Coastal Mapping Project (http://www.mscoastalmapping.com/) are mapping initiatives sponsored by FEMA after the devastating 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season. In addition to these projects, FEMA produced Hurricane Katrina Flood Recovery Maps, which showed the extent and magnitude of Hurricane Katrina’s surge and information on advisory flood data for areas in southeastern Louisiana parishes and Mississippi counties that were most severely impacted by coastal flooding. More information about these maps and other specific efforts undertaken by FEMA in response to Hurricane Katrina can be found at http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/recoverydata/katrina/katrina_about.shtm. What is the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program?The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program was created as part of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act (NFIRA) of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 4101) with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the NFIP. FEMA provides FMA funds to assist States and communities in implementing measures that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program. Three types of FMA grants are available:
What information is available from FEMA on levees?Numerous information sources exist regarding levees and their impact on addressing flood risk management issues:
How does the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) impact the FMA Program?The Coastal Barrier Resources Act, or CBRA, significantly limits Federal assistance available in areas designated within the Coastal Barrier Resources system. If any state or community wishes to apply for a planning or project grant for a CBRA unit within this system, the FEMA Regional Environmental Officer must first consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the eligibility of the activity. More information about the Coastal Barrier Resources Act can be found at http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/cbrs/cbrs.shtm. Are additional funding sources available?Multiple grant sources can be combined for a single project, or for a group of common initiatives. Potential funding sources include funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Watershed Program, which supports community watershed plans and some project implementation actions, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the NFIP Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC), and Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Guidance Manual provides more information about cost sharing and can be found at http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/fma/fema299.pdf (pdf, 355 KB). What is the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)?FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster is declared. The purpose of the HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. The HMGP is authorized under Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. More information about the HMGP can be found at http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/hmgp/index.shtm. FEMA Flood Zone DesignationsZone A - The flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the 1% annual chance floodplain for requiring federally backed mortgages to purchase flood insurance; no depths or base flood elevations are showing within this zone. Zone AE – The flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the 1% annual chance floodplain for requiring federally backed mortgages to purchase flood insurance. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are shown at selected intervals within this zone. New buildings constructed in this zone must be elevated to the BFE (i.e., the 1% annual chance flood level). Zone A99 – The flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the 1% annual chance floodplain that will be protected by a federal flood protection system where construction has reached specified statutory milestones. No BFE or depths are shown in this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply; however, no minimum building standards are required for this zone. Zone AR – The flood insurance rate zone used to depict areas protected from flood hazards by flood control structures such as a levee that is being restored. FEMA will consider using the AR designation for a community if the flood protection system has been deemed restorable by a federal agency in consultation with the local project sponsor; a minimum 3% annual chance level of flood protection is still provided to the community by the system; and restoration of the flood protection system is scheduled to begin within a designated time period. Mandatory purchase requirements for flood insurance apply as do minimum building standards. Zone X – The flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to areas outside the 1% annual chance floodplain; mandatory purchase requirements for flood insurance and minimum building standards do not apply to this zone. Revised 6 Jan 2011 |
|||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
