FEMA Opens Comment Period For Proposed Rule Changes

A while back (meaning almost 2 years ago in February 2015), we had a blog post to bring attention to the new Federal Executive Order (EO) signed by President Obama, EO 13690.  In that post, we also wrote about how the federal standard regarding flood risks was being updated as a result of the new updated EO.  The federal standard is called the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) and is an update to how we as a country look at and review development in floodplains when using federal money.  The new FFRMS lays out a process going beyond the minimum standards established for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), trying to acknowledge and plan for adaptation to climate change.  This includes the type of data that should be used to assess floodplain risk, the types of approaches that should be used to considered how to avoid & minimize flood risk, etc.  At FEMA's summary website about the FFRMS, they have posted FAQ sheets from FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Housing & Urban Development (HUD) responding to comments that were received on the draft FFRMS document put out for public comment.

In order to implement the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, FEMA has opened a public comment period on their proposed rule changes to comply with the new Federal EO.  While these rule changes would only apply to Federal projects or projects where a federal action is taken (it would not affect the minimum requirements of the NFIP), you may be interested to learn more about FEMA's proposed rule changes to implement the FFRMS, and to submit comments.  The comment period for FEMA's proposal to amend its regulations for "Floodplain Management & Protection of Wetlands" is open until October 21, 2016.

New Maps in Bennington County!

The long-anticipated Bennington County Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map became effective 12/2/2015.  The data can now be found online at:

• FEMA Map Service Center www.msc.fema.gov 
• Flood Ready Atlas tinyurl.com/floodreadyatlas (Html 5); 
• Vermont Natural Resource Atlas tinyurl.com/vt-floodmap  (Silverlight).

The FEMA Map Service Center allows users to search by address and find the effective and historic flood maps for any location.  The MSC also has the Flood Insurance Study and Letters of Map Amendment.  Outside of the areas with Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps the MSC has scanned copies of the “white/paper” FIRMs.

The Vermont Natural Resource Atlas has two online platforms.  The Html 5 version can be used by all computers and browsers.  The Silverlight version requires Internet Explorer and a PC that can load the Microsoft Silverlight software (a fairly quick process).

Where there are DFIRMs available, the MSC allows users to download GIS versions of the Special Flood Hazard Areas and other vector data.

The Vermont Center for Geographic Information will also post the GIS data later this month.

On the Flood Ready Atlas you can find a specialized layer for Flood Hazard Mapping that shows areas of Vermont with effective DFIRMs.

With the process in Bennington County completed no other flood map updates are scheduled by FEMA in Vermont.  This leaves large areas of the state with old maps needing attention.  Any future map work by FEMA will be handled through the RiskMAP approach.  RiskMAP uses a HUC-8 watershed boundary as the basis of map updates.  This would be the equivalent of the Missisquoi or Passumpsic River watersheds.

FEMA 4-day Course: Introductory Floodplain Management Class to be Offered in Portsmouth, NH 9/28-10/1/2015

ASFPM is co-sponsoring the FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) 273 course in Portsmouth, NH with FEMA Region I and the New Hampshire Office of Energy & Planning in September. This course is designed to provide an organized training opportunity for local officials responsible for administering their local floodplain management ordinance. The course will focus on the NFIP and concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, ordinance administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance.

A separate (optional) CFM exam will be held on Friday, October 2nd. Course attendance is NOT required to sit for the CFM exam. Please see details below for more information.

COST: Course attendance is FREE, but registration is required. Attendees are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and meal expenses.   

COURSE REGISTRATION:  

Registration deadline: September 1, 2015. To register for the course, please follow instructions in the course flyer.

QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jennifer Gilbert at 603-271-1762 or jennifer.gilbert@nh.gov

CFM Exam* (optional)
October 2, 2015, 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Portsmouth, NH

Separate registration and fee required to sit for the CFM Exam. Exam applications and fee must be submitted to ASFPM not later than September 23, 2015 in order to sit for the exam on October 2, 2015.
*CFM exam is optional, and a separate registration and fee are required to sit for the CFM exam.  Note: The 273 course is not a CFM Exam prep course; takers should not expect to pass the exam without additional study of materials found at the CFM Exam Preparation Guide.

Update on the new Federal Executive Order & Implementing Guidelines

A few weeks ago, we had posted information about the newly signed Federal Executive Order (EO) 13690 and the draft Federal guidelines that were released along with the EO.  Since that time, FEMA has posted more information about organized public listening sessions (all are located far away from us in Vermont) and about submitting public comments on the new Federal guidelines on implementing the new EO.

These new DRAFT guidelines, titled Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS), have an open public comment period until Monday April 6, 2015.  Comments can be submitted directly online through this website.  The public comment period is specifically intended for comments on the new FFRMS; the new EO has already been finalized.  We encourage individuals or organizations to participate in this process by providing comments and feedback on the draft FFRMS implementing guidelines.  Our understanding is that they are looking for both what people like about the new guidelines and what you may have suggestions on for improvement.  The last time the guidelines on Federal procedure & policy regarding floodplains were opened up for revision and update was back in the late 1970s, so this is an opportunity that doesn't come along often!

New Federal Executive Order on Floodplains & a Federal Flood Risk Management Strategy

On January 30th, 2015, the President released a new Federal Executive Order regarding floodplains.  This new Executive Order (EO 13690) does not replace the existing Federal Executive Order 11988 (which dates back to the Carter Administration, effective 1977), but rather supplements 11988 in areas where the federal floodplain standards were lagging behind some of the existing state floodplain review standards.  Existing EO 11988 requires federal agencies to assess floodplain impacts when a federal action is taken within a federally-mapped floodplain.  Typically, federal agencies are tasked with ensuring the federal project is in compliance with minimum NFIP standards.

ASFPM has created a specific webpage for the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) that contains links to the various documents, as well as some background on the development of this new standard.  In addition, the implementation of the new EO and FFRMS has been reported about in the New York Times, as well as the Washington Post.


From the new EO 13690:

As part of a national policy on resilience and risk reduction consistent with my Climate Action Plan, the National Security Council staff coordinated an interagency effort to create a new flood risk reduction standard for federally funded projects. The views of Governors, mayors, and other stakeholders were solicited and considered as efforts were made to establish a new flood risk reduction standard for federally funded projects. The result of these efforts is the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (Standard), a flexible framework to increase resilience against flooding and help preserve the natural values of floodplains. Incorporating this Standard will ensure that agencies expand management from the current base flood level to a higher vertical elevation and corresponding horizontal floodplain to address current and future flood risk and ensure that projects funded with taxpayer dollars last as long as intended.

Key provisions of the new EO 13690 and the FFRMS, taken from FEMA's summary of the draft FFRMS Guidelines

The new federal flood risk standard requires all future federal investments in and affecting floodplains to meet the level of resilience as established by the Standard.  For example, this includes where federal funds are used to build new structures and facilities or to rebuild those that have been damaged.

The Standard specifically requires federal agencies to consider current and future risk when taxpayer dollars are used to build or rebuild floodplains.

In implementing the Standard, federal agencies will be given the flexibility to select one of three approaches for establishing the flood elevation and hazard area they use in siting, design, and construction:

• Utilizing best-available, actionable data and methods that integrate current and future changes in flooding based on science,
• Two or three feet of elevation, depending on the criticality of the building, above the 100-year, or 1%-annual-chance, flood elevation, or
• 500-year, or 0.2%-annual-chance, flood elevation.

It is important to note that neither this new EO 13690 nor the existing EO 11988 change the local administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or any state minimum standards.


A 60-day Public Comment period is now open for the Draft Federal Flood Risk Management Standard Implementing Guidelines (FFRMS) which was also released on 1/30/2015.  Individuals are encouraged to submit comments before April 6, 2015.  Here is a link to a FEMA Frequently Asked Questions page of the Draft FFRMS.

FEMA's Introductory Floodplain Management Class to be Offered in Old Lyme, CT March 9-13

ASFPM is co-sponsoring the FEMA Emergency Management Institute(EMI) 273 course in Old Lyme, CT with FEMA Region I, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP), and the Connecticut Association of Flood Managers (CAFM) in March. This course is designed to provide an organized training opportunity for local officials responsible for administering their local floodplain management ordinance. The course will focus on the NFIP and concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, ordinance administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance.

A separate (optional) CFM exam will be held on Friday, March 13th. Course attendance is NOT required to sit for the CFM exam. Please see details below for more information.

LUNCH / REFRESHMENTS 

Lunch and break food/refreshments are available during the Monday - Thursday course for a small (optional) fee:

$25 / person AM & PM breaks, OR  

$80 / person for breaks & lunches 

COURSE REGISTRATION:  

Registration deadline: February 13, 2015. To register for the course, please follow instructions in the course flyer. 

Please contact Diane Ifkovic with questions about the course at diane.ifkovic@ct.gov or call 860-424-3537. 

273 Course
March 9-12, 2015

8:00AM - 5:00PM

Old Lyme, CT

12 CECs for CFMs

Cost: Course attendance is free, registration is required.

--------------------------------

CFM Exam (optional)
Friday, Mar. 13, 2015
9:00AM -12:00PM
Old Lyme, CT

Course attendance is NOT required to sit for the exam.

COST

Separate registration and fee required to sit for the CFM Exam. Exam applications and fee must be submitted to ASFPM not later than March 4, 2015 in order to sit for the exam on March 13th.

*CFM Exam is optional, separate registration and fee are required to sit for the CFM exam. NOTE: The 273 course is not a CFM Exam prep course; takers should not expect to pass the exam without additional study of materials found on the CFM Exam Preparation Guide.

Free FEMA Trainings in Vermont, 9/15-9/17

We have been able to arrange a few different FEMA trainings to be offered around Vermont next week.  All of the trainings are FREE, but space is limited, so be sure to RSVP to Morgaine Bell of the Vermont Rivers Program ASAP.

These classes are geared towards local zoning administrators, local and regional planners, consultants and engineers, but all are welcome.  And please note that you need not be from Vermont to attend!  So please send a link to this post to anyone you think may be interested in these classes.  

We will have the trainings pre-approved for Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Continuing Education Credits (CECs) as well, so this will be a great way to get some additional CECs in for this year.  

Trainings:

Monday, September 15th
Act 250 Conference Room, Fish & Wildlife Building
111 West Street, Essex Junction VT

8am-12pm: Coastal Construction
1pm-5pm: Floodplain Management


Tuesday, September 16th
St. Albans Free Library
11 Maiden Lane, St. Albans VT
8am-12pm: Coastal Construction


Winooski Conference Room
1 National Life Drive - Main 2, Montpelier VT
12pm-4pm: Intro to CRS and CRS Quick Check

Wednesday, September 17th
Welcome Center
3 Railroad Ave, Windsor VT
8am-12pm: Floodplain Management

Intro to Community Rating System (CRS)

This short session is designed for local officials interested in learning more about the Community Rating System (CRS).  CRS recognizes community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP standards. Besides the benefit of reduced insurance rates, CRS floodplain management activities enhance public safety, reduce damages to property and infrastructure, avoid economic disruption and losses, and protect the environment. More information about CRS is available online at: http://crsresources.org/

CRS Quick Check
The Community Rating System (CRS) Quick Check is a new tool developed to help communities join the CRS.

The objective of the CRS Quick Check is to show that the community is doing enough floodplain management activities above and beyond the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program to warrant 500 credit points, enough to be a CRS Class 9 or better. This workshop is designed to assist communities that are interested in applying for CRS by discussing the more common activities that CRS communities receive credit for and what documentation would be needed to support the credited points. The Quick Check is available online at: http://crsresources.org/joining-the-crs/quick-check/ 
Please bring your completed checklist and/or questions to this class.

Intro to Floodplain Management (NFIP 101)

This introductory course is designed to provide an organized training opportunity for local officials responsible for administering their local floodplain management ordinance. The course will focus on the NFIP and concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, ordinance administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance. The FEMA Elevation Certificate (EC) and Map Service Center (MSC) website will also be discussed briefly during the course.

Intro to Coastal Residential Construction

This intense workshop is intended to give attendees an overview of the contents of FEMA’s Coastal Construction Manual and to provide information on how to ensure one- to four-family residential buildings in coastal areas are properly sited, designed, constructed, and maintained. This course is a compressed version of the E386 Residential Coastal Construction held over 4 days at EMI yearly.  In addition, staff of the VT Watershed Management Division’s Lakes and Ponds Program will be providing information about how these coastal construction techniques may overlap with the new Vermont Shoreland Permit Program.

August NFIP Trainings

Hello all,

I’d like to present the upcoming free, online trainings available through STARR. These trainings cover a variety of topics, from the NFIP basics through specifics of elevation certificates, and are presented by STARR staff, FEMA, and State organizations. Many of the courses are eligible for CEC credits for Certified Floodplain Managers.

Please feel free to register for any courses you are interested in attending, and invite or pass information on these courses on to potentially interested communities or organizations in your states. Also, if you are interested in using this online platform for any trainings that your state would like to present, STARR can support you in that effort. Please let me know if you’d like additional information on hosting online trainings.

To register for a course or to check on upcoming courses, navigate to https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/cmp0401l/webcomponents/calendar/calendar.do?siteurl=atkinsglobalna&serviceType=TC&prepared=true

and click the “Upcoming” tab. Below are the courses offered in August:

August 27, 1:00 pm Eastern – Floodplain Development Permit Review

This 90-minute session will highlight eight basic steps to reviewing development inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). This is beginner training, recommended for those new to the role of floodplain administrator. 1 CEC for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers.

August 28, 1:00 pm Eastern – Inspecting Floodplain Development

This beginner two-hour session will highlight special considerations for plan reviewers and building inspectors when evaluating and inspecting development inside the Special Flood Hazard Area, including basic concepts and terminology, minimum construction standards (from the IBC/IRC), and conducting inspections. 2 CECs for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers.

In addition, here is a summary of courses currently scheduled in September. Additional courses may be added, so check https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/cmp0401l/webcomponents/calendar/calendar.do?siteurl=atkinsglobalna&serviceType=TC&prepared=true for the current list:

Sep 4, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- NFIP Basics Sep 16, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- CRS Webinar Series: Preparing an Annual Recertification Sep 17, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- CRS Webinar Series: Drainage System Maintenance Sep 18, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- Elevation Certificates

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Alex

Alex Sirotek, GISP, CFM
STARR
FEMA Region 1 Service Center
99 High Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
617-574-4402

New Flood Map for Richmond Goes Into Effect Aug. 4 Last Chance to Grandfather Flood Zone

An updated flood map will become effective in the Town of Richmond on August 4, 2014. Flood Insurance Rate Maps are produced by FEMA to identify flood hazard risks for the National Flood Insurance Program.  The current and future flood hazard maps are viewable at the Richmond Town Center Building.  The current map is also online at the FEMA map service center www.msc.fema.gov .  To view the new maps (upcoming Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM)) please visit the Vermont Flood Ready Atlas at tinyurl.com/floodreadyatlas

Owners of buildings in Richmond should be aware of the flood risks shown on the new map.  Over one hundred buildings currently identified as in low risk locations will be reclassified as being in high risk locations when the new map goes into effect. If a building is currently identified as in a low risk location, and later will be in a high risk location, a special low cost insurance opportunity is available to those who obtain flood insurance immediately before the map change.

The Town of Richmond has worked with Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission to help identify buildings in or near the area of map change.  Please remember that the official version of the current map (July 5, 1982) is actually the paper (or .pdf) version of the map.  Contact the Richmond Town Planner at 434-2430 or townplanner@gmavt.net for more information.

Buildings identified as going from low risk to high risk during the map change are eligible to obtain flood insurance now at the lowest rate.  If the policy with the grandfathered rate zone is maintained it can be passed on to future owners. Structures in the area of map change that do not have an active policy (check deposited) by the time the new designation goes into effect will have access to a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) in the first year, then rates will gradually increase to the full costs for a property considered high risk. Please note that the policy must be paid, processed and fully in effect before August 4th to qualify for lower rates. To get flood insurance or more information on grandfathering contact the agent that provides your homeowner’s insurance or find an agent using www.FloodSmart.gov

Flood insurance is rated for the highest risk area that any part of the building touches.   Any mortgage or loan to a building in the Special Flood Hazard Area must have insurance for the flood risk. In Richmond, most of the structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area as identified on the new map do not have flood insurance and would benefit by immediately securing insurance.

The Town of Richmond has reached out to people in the area of change to inform them of their need to get insurance.  Affected residents who wish to obtain grandfathered status and rates should not delay. Flood insurance must be paid, processed and in effect by August 4th in order to achieve grandfathered status.

Update on the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA)

Last week we had provided news about the US Congress passing the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA) at the end of March.  Since then, FEMA has published an overview of the the bill found on their website and in the FEMA Resource Library.  This overview document can also be found on our Flood Hazard Management webpage.

We have also started to get some information on how HFIAA will impact people in Vermont specifically, as well as the impacts to flood insurance nationally.  Here is a short summary:

• It will take some time to start to implement provisions of the new law:
• In the short term, there may still be individuals that get hit with full actuarial rates due to a new policy on a preFIRM residence (home built before the first Flood Insurance Rate Maps were created).  This new policy could be due to a lapsed flood insurance policy or a new policy being written due to a transfer of the property and/or a requirement by a lender for flood insurance;
• There will also be a lag for people who will be expecting refunds due to the change in their flood insurance premium as a result of the HFIAA.
• If you are a property owner living in Bennington County or in the Town/Village of Richmond here in Vermont:  FEMA will be releasing new preliminary or effective DFIRMs in the coming year.  Richmond's new DFIRMs are scheduled to become effective on 8/2/2014.  Bennington County's new DFIRMs are anticipated to become effective about one year from now (March 2015).  If the new preliminary DFIRMs show your house to be located in the mapped flood hazard area where you had not been shown to be located in the flood hazard area on previous FIRMs, you may be eligible for a grandfathered flood insurance rating.  Anyone who may be eligible for receiving grandfathered flood insurance rates is encouraged to get flood insurance BEFORE the new DFIRMs become effective for your community.  For more information regarding FEMA's grandfathering policy, please see an earlier post that was written for the Washington County map update process.  Please note that the estimated flood insurance premiums discussed may be different due to the effects of either Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW12) or HFIAA.  

UPDATE **For Properties newly mapped into the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area: your first year would be rated as a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) rate - i.e. as if you are not located in the flood hazard area.  Policy ratings in subsequent years would be based on the same phase-in method used to eliminate pre-FIRM suubsidies.

• Flood Insurance premiums are going up for everyone.  While the HFIAA is allowing a phase-in of higher rates for primary homeowners, the law is still enabling a push for all policies to eventually reach full actuarial rates.  Property owners should seriously consider mitigating their home or structure(s) to reduce their flood risk and reduce the cost of flood insurance.  Additional information about mitigating your home or structure can be found on the VT Flood Resilience Sharepoint site found under either "Step 5: Insure" or "Step 3: Reduce".  

If you are a local official or someone else that may be helping individuals affected by the changes from the HFIAA, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) will be offering two upcoming webinars in May and June focused on the changes to Biggert Waters 2012 from HFIAA (see dates below).  From the ASFPM announcement, the first webinar in early April filled up and these two follow up webinars are also expected fill up quickly.  

Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA) of 2014 (AKA Grimm-Waters 2014) meets Biggert-Waters 2012: Impacts and Implications

Learn how the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act modifies and expands on BW-12 implications

1 core CEC for CFMs

$30 for ASFPM Individual Members*

$45 ASFPM Chapters/Agencies/Corporate Partners*

$60 Non-members

*Members must enter the event promo code at registration to receive the preferred rate.  ASFPM members should register through the ASFPM Membership Login page.  

More information about the webinars can found by clicking on the webinar flyer links below:

Friday, May 2nd, 2014; 2:00pm-3:00pm (EDT)

Thursday, June 26th, 2014; 2:00pm-3:00pm (EDT)

Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 - What's Changed from BW12?

Update...
After many of the new provisions of Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW12) started going into effect, we had written about discussions and a US Senate bill that was working its way through Congress to roll back many of the BW12 provisions.  While there were many issues that seemed to need some working out, chief among them affordability provisions for the new rates and increasing funding for mitigation projects, a final bill was sent from the House of Representatives to the Senate and was voted on on 3/13/2014.  The President signed the new Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA) into law on 3/21/ 2014.

The new HFIAA certainly does not repeal all of BW12.  You can see a comprehensive list of all of the changes included in the HFIAA that was compiled by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) - Analysis of HFIAA, but here are some of the more prominent provisions and changes resulting from the passage of the bill:

• Repeals provision that triggered full-risk insurance rates for pre-FIRM properties;
• All policyholders will receive an annual surcharge on their flood insurance bill: $25 for primary residences, $250 for all other properties;
• Changes the annual flood insurance policy rate increase cap from a maximum of 20% to a maximum of 15%;
• Establishes a maximum cap of 18% per year in premiums increases on any individual properties (exceptions are noted in the ASFPM Analysis of HFIAA);
• The Act establishes a new, slower path to full-risk rates for some properties (increasing premiums by at least 5% per year) where grandfathering is not possible;
• Provides for some exceptions and options to escrow flood insurance premiums during a real estate closing;
• Increases the residential deductible limits to $10,000 from $5,000

For more information about the background on the passage of BW12 and HFIAA, there is a good article that was published in Slate Magazine.

Even More Free Webinar Trainings

This announcement from Alex Sirotek of STARR, a FEMA service contractor.  Alex's email contains more information about upcoming webinars offered through STARR.  If you have any questions about the webinars, please contact Alex (information at the end of the post).

Hello all,

I’d like to present the upcoming free, online trainings available through STARR. These trainings cover a variety of topics, from the NFIP basics through specifics of elevation certificates, and are presented by STARR staff, FEMA, and State organizations. Many of the courses are eligible for CEC credits for Certified Floodplain Managers.

Please feel free to register for any courses you are interested in attending, and invite or pass information on these courses on to potentially interested communities or organizations in your states. Also, if you are interested in using this online platform for any trainings that your state would like to present, STARR can support you in that effort. Please let me know if you’d like additional information on hosting online trainings.

To register for a course or to check on upcoming courses, navigate to https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/cmp0401l/webcomponents/calendar/calendar.do?siteurl=atkinsglobalna&serviceType=TC&prepared=true

and click the “Upcoming” tab. Below are the courses offered in March:  

March 12, 12:00 pm Eastern – NFIP Basics

This one-hour session will cover the history of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), basic terminology, governing authority and provide an overview of the community's role in floodplain management through the NFIP.  The target audience are state and local officials who need a general understanding of the ins and outs of the program and guidance on where to go for more training and answers.  Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

March 13, 1:00 pm Eastern – Elevation Certificates for A Zones

Training on the proper way to complete FEMA Form 81-31 and best practices for using the Elevation Certification in the floodplain development review process. Special consideration to using the form in A Zone without a BFE.  2 CECs for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs) that register and attend individually and pass the learning objectives quiz at the end of the session.  

March 18, 1:00 pm Eastern – CRS Webinar Series: Introduction to CRS

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 interest in flood protection.  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.  1 CEC for CFMs.

March 19, 1:00 pm Eastern – CRS Webinar Series: Higher Regulatory Standards (Activity 430)

This one-hour session will review CRS Activity 430 (Higher Regulatory Standards).  1 CEC for CFMs.

In addition, here is a summary of courses currently scheduled in April.  Additional courses may be added, so check  https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/cmp0401l/webcomponents/calendar/calendar.do?siteurl=atkinsglobalna&serviceType=TC&prepared=true for the current list:

Apr 9, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 Apr 15, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- CRS Webinar Series: Preparing for a Verification Visit Apr 16, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- CRS Webinar Series: Developing Outreach Projects Apr 17, 2014, 1:00 PM Eastern- Elevation Certificates

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Alex

Alex Sirotek, GISP, CFM
STARR
FEMA Region 1 Regional Service Center
99 High Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
617-574-4402

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.

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

US Senate Passes Bill to Delay Implementation of BW12

2/12/14 Update:  Here is a FEMA FAQ about the impacts of this bill on the implementation of BW12

There have been several articles (Washington Post, NYT) published today that provided details on the US Senate's passage of a bill to delay the implementation of Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, or BW12.  There has been discussion about a possible repeal or delays of the BW12 bill for several months.  However, this discussion seems to have gained more steam as homeowners and other people with structures located within the Special Flood Hazard Area are starting to receive their new flood insurance premiums.  More information from ASFPM about some of the efforts that are being made to consider or include other options in any bill that may be brought to the floor in the US House of Representatives. 

For anyone who is not familiar with the BW12 bill, the insurance reform act had several goals including changes to flood mapping, flood grants and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for an additional five years.  However, the changes that BW12 is best known for are changes to the flood insurance aspect of the National Flood Insurance Program.  Many of the flood insurance changes were designed to make the flood insurance fund more stable by reducing the fund's current deficit to the US Treasury, as well as beginning to create extra savings to help the fund to be able to withstand large scale disaster declarations like Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Sandy.  Another aspect of the flood insurance reforms was to phase in actuarial rates for flood insurance policies which resulted in some groups of people losing the subsidy that they may have for their policy or losing any subsidy when a new policy was written.  Past posts by Ned include some information about how BW12 would impact flood insurance policies within the State of Vermont.  FEMA's website also has quite a bit of information that goes into much fuller detail about these flood insurance changes.

Many people have recognized that the original bill had issues in implementation and execution of the stated goals and objectives, specifically that the phase in of higher rates happened at a relatively fast rate, that some home or other building owners may go right from a subsidized rate directly to a full actuarial rate overnight and while many policy holders may not want to pay the higher premiums for many reasons, there was a definite contingent of people who would not have an actual ability to pay for the higher rates. 

Despite the myriad of issues with the implementation of BW12, the reasons for the passage of BW12 still remains - trying to have the National Flood Insurance Program be able to be fiscally solvent and support itself by the premiums that are paid into the program and to keep general taxpayers for funding flood recovery efforts.  A third very compelling reason for BW12 focused on having people in a flood hazard area recognize and pay for the true cost and risk of living in a hazard area, especially as we have been seeing more frequent and intense flood events and sea level rise starting to impact properties that may have been less vulnerable in the past.  The idea was that if a person living or working in a hazard area had to pay the actuarial flood insurance rate for living in this risky zone, then more structure owners would undertake mitigation efforts to help reduce their yearly premiums.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) released a Policy Paper in October of 2013 that included 9 recommendations of how BW12 could be altered to improve implementation but cautioned against repeal.  This was in order to help keep moving the NFIP towards fiscal solvency as well as continue to focus on the growing demand for mitigating homes and other infrastructure that is located within the FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Area. Many of the 9 ASFPM recommendations that had been made focused on continuing to promote and encourage meaningful mitigation of flood prone homes in a variety of ways.  This included:

• finding more ways to fund mitigation projects and existing hazard mitigation grant programs;
• exploring ways to better incentivize mitigation efforts through tax incentives or long-term flood insurance policy benefits;
• recognizing partial mitigation efforts by homeowners; and
• making loans more available to home and other building owners who may be looking for ways to mitigate their structure from future floods. 

At this time, it looks like it is uncertain how such a BW12 reform/delay bill will fair in the US House of Representatives, but we will surely hear more of this debate in the near future. 

CRS Webinar

There is an upcoming webinar that FEMA has scheduled about the Community Rating System (CRS) Program.   The webinar is intended to be an introduction to the CRS program.  The objective of the Community Rating System (CRS) is to reward communities that are doing more than meeting the minimum NFIP requirements to help their citizens prevent or reduce flood losses.  If a community is enrolled in the CRS Program, almost all flood insurance policies in the community receive some level of discount on the paid premium.  Currently, all CRS communities in Vermont receive a 5% discount on flood insurance premiums, although there is the potential for a community to receive up to a 45% discount on flood insurance premiums. 

There had been a webinar proposed for January, but filled up in less than a day.  If you are interested in participating in this February webinar, I would encourage you to sign up soon, as the last one filled up so quickly and their webinar software only allows for 100 participants at a time.  We will post any information about additional webinars, too.

CRS Webinar Series: Introduction to CRS
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
10:00 am, Pacific Standard Time (1:00 pm Eastern)
Session Number: 654 589 020
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To register for this training session
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Go to https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/atkinsglobalna/k2/j.php?ED=229216312&UID=0&HMAC=d3ebf7c3d0918b6ff7191ef78c531c554c213d97&RT=MiM0 and register.

The contractor is working hard to get the rest of the CRS Webinar Series scheduled. They will all be listed at https://atkinsglobalna.webex.com/tc very soon (some are already there). Click the “Upcoming” tab, and check back often for updates.

(Virtually) Free Trainings at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

I wanted to let everyone know about upcoming trainings at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) located in Emmitsburg, MD.  If you are a local government employee, the courses at EMI are offered at virtually no charge.  The attendee would be given a travel stipend to cover the cost of travel, there is no charge for the class or your room for the week, and EMI provides a shuttle that would pick you up at either the Baltimore or Washington DC airport.  The only cost to the attendee would be a weekly meal ticket that is ~ $100. These courses would be extremely helpful for any local official that works on floodplain management issues.  There are several relevant floodplain management courses that are offered there throughout the year and would be helpful. CFM credit is often available for any of the floodplain management courses offered at EMI.

Also, if you are a community that is currently participating in the CRS program, you can receive CRS credit if staff members completed certain training sessions, which includes almost all of the classes listed below (E194, E273, E278, E282, E284 or E386). 

You can download an application at the EMI website or find out more information about EMI by reading through their Welcome Packet.  Also, feel free to contact Rebecca (rebecca.pfeiffer@state.vt.us) with any questions.

CRS course (E278)

April 7-10
June 23-26
August 11-14

Managing Development through the NFIP (E273)
March 17-20
May 5-8
June 16-19
September 15-18

Advanced Floodplain Management Concepts (E194)

August 25-28

Advanced FPM Concepts II (E282)

April 14-17

Advanced Concepts III (E284)
July 21-24

Residential Coastal Construction (E386)
August 18-21

Retrofitting Floodprone Buildings (E279)

April 14-17

Benefit Cost Analysis: Entry Level (E276)

April 22-24

August 25-27

Upcoming Web Training Events from STARR

From Alex Sirotek, STARR : Hello all,

I’d like to present the upcoming free, online trainings available through STARR. These trainings cover a variety of topics, from the NFIP basics through specifics of elevation certificates, and are presented by STARR staff, FEMA, and State organizations. Many of the courses are eligible for CEC credits for Certified Floodplain Managers.

Please feel free to register for any courses you are interested in attending, and invite or pass information on these courses on to potentially interested communities or organizations in your states. Also, if you are interested in using this online platform for any trainings that your state would like to present, STARR can support you in that effort. Please let me know if you’d like additional information on hosting online trainings.

To register for a course or to check on upcoming courses, navigate to http://j.mp/starrwebtraining and click the “Upcoming” tab. Below are the courses offered in September:

September 11, 1:00 pm Eastern – NFIP Basics
This one-hour session will cover the history of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), basic terminology, governing authority, and provide an overview of the community’s role in floodplain management through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The target audience are state and local officials who need a general understanding of the ins and outs of the program and guidance on where to go for more training and answers. Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

September 18, 2:00 pm Eastern – Preparing for Post-Disaster Responsibilities
Early disaster preparedness is crucial for the efficient and effective administration of any Floodplain Administrator's duties. This one-hour long webinar, presented by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, highlights the local floodplain administrator's tasks and offers guidance for a quick and well-organized response. Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

September 24, 2:00 pm Eastern – Floodplain Development Plan Review
This 90-minute session will highlight eight basic steps to reviewing development inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). This is beginner training, recommended for those new to the role of floodplain administrator. 1 CEC for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers.

September 25, 1:00 pm Eastern – Inspecting Floodplain Development
This beginner two-hour session will highlight special considerations for plan reviewers and building inspectors when evaluating and inspecting development inside the Special Flood Hazard Area, including basic concepts and terminology, minimum construction standards (from the IBC/IRC), and conducting inspections. 2 CECs for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers

September 26, 1:00 pm Eastern – Elevation Certificates
Training on the proper way to complete FEMA Form 81-31 and best practices for using the Elevation Certificate in the floodplain development review process. 2 CECs for ASFPM Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs) that register and attend individually and pass the learning objectives quiz at the end of the session.

In addition, here is a summary of courses currently scheduled in October and November. Additional courses may be added, so check http://j.mp/starrwebtraining for the current list:

 Oct 2, 2013 , 2:00 PM Eastern-  Substantial Damage Estimation
 Oct 9, 2013 , 1:00 PM Eastern-  Determining a Base Flood Elevation
 Oct 10, 2013 , 12:00 PM Eastern-  Elevation Certificates for A Zones
 Oct 16, 2013 , 2:00 PM Eastern-  CRS Basics
 Oct 17, 2013 , 1:00 PM Eastern-  Hazus and the Community Rating System
 Oct 23, 2013 , 1:00 PM Eastern-  Elevation Certificates
 Oct 24, 2013 , 12:00 PM Eastern-  NFIP Basics
 Nov 6, 2013 , 1:00 PM Eastern-  Floodplain Development Plan Review
 Nov 7, 2013 , 1:00 PM Eastern-  Inspecting Floodplain Development

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Alex

Alex Sirotek, CFM
STARR
FEMA Region 1 Regional Service Center
99 High Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
617-574-4402
SirotekAR@cdmsmith.com