Intro to the Community Rating System Webinar

In addition to the other Community Rating System (CRS) Webinars that we listed here, another webinar has been announced that is sponsored by the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA, www.nhma.info).  This additional webinar will be held on March 10 from 1-2pm EDT (remember that March 9 is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time!).  This webinar is intended as an introduction to the CRS program for anyone who may be interested in learning more about the program basics.

To register for this event, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8591352219184717825.

From the NHMA announcement:

NHMA is offering a webinar, “Introduction to the Community Rating System.” The Community Rating System (CRS) provides reduced premiums for flood insurance policy holders in communities that implement programs and activities that exceed the minimum criteria for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. If your community conducts floodplain mapping, regulatory, loss reduction, emergency management, and/or public information activities, you could benefit from this program.

This webinar is for people new to the Community Rating System (CRS), especially from communities that are not yet in the program. This one-hour session will introduce FEMA’s Community Rating System, how it operates, the costs and benefits for communities, where to get help, and how to apply. The target audience is local officials, floodplain managers, and members of the public interested in flood protection.

The presenter will be French Wetmore, a CRS consultant.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Alessandra Jerolleman, PhD, CFM, MPA

Executive Director

Natural Hazard Mitigation Association

www.nhma.info

Again, to register for this webinar, please go to the webinar registration page.

Spring CFM Exam scheduled for 4/23 in Montpelier

We wanted to announce that a spring Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) exam has been scheduled and confirmed for Wednesday, April 23rd from 9am-12pm located in Montpelier.    

What is the CFM program all about you may ask?  Here is a small excerpt from the ASFPM website about the Program:

The Association of State Floodplain Managers has established a national program for professional certification of floodplain managers. The program recognizes continuing education and professional development that enhance the knowledge and performance of local, state, federal, and private-sector floodplain managers.

The primary goal of the ASFPM Certified Floodplain Manager Program (CFM Program) is to help reduce the nation's flood losses and protect and enhance the natural resources and functions of its floodplains by improving the knowledge and abilities of floodplain managers in the United States.  A second goal of the CFM Program is to increase the prominence of floodplain management in decision-making by local officials and the public.

Additional information regarding ASFPM and the CFM program can be found at ASFPM’s website or the CFM Program page: www.floods.org,  CFM page

General Exam Information:

The exam will be held at the central Agency of Natural Resource office located at 1 National Life Drive in Montpelier.  If you are interested, you are now able to register for this exam with the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) office.  All registration forms and ASFPM membership applications should be sent to the ASFPM office in Madison, WI. 

If you are not a member of ASFPM, then the cost to register for the exam is $395.  However, if you join ASFPM as a member for $120, the exam registration fee will only be $100 for a total fee of $220.  If you are planning to become an ASFPM member and register for the exam at the same time, you should send the ASFPM membership form, the exam registration form and payment for both together for the ease of processing.

Please note that all exam registrations must be received by ASFPM no later than 2 weeks before the exam date.  This means that all registration forms need to be received by the ASFPM office no later than Wednesday, April 9th.  Otherwise, if your registration has not been received by 4/9/14, you will not be able to sit for the exam.  The CFM exam registration form and the ASFPM membership form can be found here.

Review Session:

We will also be offering an all-day review session before the exam with the date still to be determined.   The review session will be held in the ANR offices at the National Life Building located in Montpelier. Please contact Rebecca Pfeiffer in advance if you intend to be at the review session so that we can be sure that there will be enough room and so we can determined which date works best for those interested in the review.

If you are interested in taking the exam but would not be ready to do so for the 4/23 date, please contact Rebecca  so that your name will remain on our list of people to contact when we are planning another CFM exam in 2014. 

Please also note that there will be a CFM exam held (somewhat) nearby in Poughkeepsie, NY on March 26.  More information about the exam can be found at the ASFPM website.

Please pass along the word to whomever else you think may be interested in sitting for the exam!

Upcoming Webinars for the Community Rating System (CRS)

There will be several CRS webinar trainings that will be FREE and held over the course of the next few months. In addition to the Introduction to the CRS webinar, there are also some other more specific webinars.  These additional webinars include Developing Outreach Projects (Activity 330) and Higher Regulatory Standards (Activity 430).  

You can sign up for the webinars either through the CRSResources.org website or by going directly to the Atkins Global website, the host for the webinars.

Upcoming Webinar Schedule:

Introduction to the Community Rating System
February 18th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time
March 18th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time
May 20th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time
July 15th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time

Developing Outreach Projects (Activity 330)
February 19th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time
April 16th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time

Higher Regulatory Standards (Activity 430)
March 19th, 1:00 pm Eastern Time

Other future webinars that are on their way include:

• Preparing for the CRS Verification Visit
• Higher Regulatory Standards (Activity 430)
• Drainage System Maintenance (Activity 540)
• Natural Floodplain Functions

Plan Ahead: Future Disasters

In January Vermont Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding sent a letter to all Select Boards to encourage Vermont communities to become more flood resilient and to take advantage of post-disaster funding available after October 23.

In the wake of a federally-declared disaster Municipalities may be reimbursed for 75 % of eligible damage by federal taxpayers.  Through ERAF (the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund) the State will contribute an additional 7.5 % to help cover the damage costs. However, where communities have taken actions to avoid and reduce future damage they will be eligible for more support from the State.

At this time Select Boards can adopt road standards based on the current 2014 - 2016 Orange Book.  After Town Meeting communities can update their Local Emergency Operations Plans.  By keeping plans current and taking steps to avoid and reduce damage from flooding the State will provide 12.5 or 17.5 % of post-disaster funding.

For more information please see:

• Jeb Spaulding's Letter to Select Boards
• Flood Resilience Sharepoint  tinyurl.com/floodresilience  
• FEMA:  Major Disasters in Vermont 
• VPR Mapping the Money: Tropical Storm Irene
• SHELDUS: Hazard Events and Losses by State