Free Online Trainings Offered in April

We recently received an announcement that 5 online trainings will be offered throughout the month of April.  These trainings will be hosted by STARR, one of the FEMA contractors that has been working on FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates throughout New England and the rest of the United States.

The trainings that will be offered cover several different topics that may be relevant and helpful to anyone who has some involvement with or interest in floodplain management.  Many of the courses are eligible for CEC credits for Certified Floodplain Managers.

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 available courses offered in April. We understand that there will be monthly updates on upcoming courses. Courses like the MT1 training and NFIP basics are repeated frequently.

April 11, 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 Certificate 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.

April 17, 1:00 pm Eastern – Biggert Waters NFIP Reform Act of 2012

The Biggert-Waters National Flood Insurance Program Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) resulted in major changes to the NFIP. This session, presented by FEMA Region X, will provide an overview of the changes and what is being done to implement the legislation. Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

April 18, 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.

April 24, 1:00 pm Eastern – Preparing Data for Hazus

This session is targeted to those interested in how to update Hazus with local data from parcel/assessors information. We will describe the data required to update the Hazus general building stock data. The session will feature tutorials on how to update data using the Comprehensive Data Management System. We will also cover what is required for a user-defined analysis for the Earthquake and Flood modules. Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

April 25, 1:00 pm Eastern – MT-1 Basics

This webinar is designed to give a broad overview of the MT-1 review process and review procedures that will help applicants submit a completed MT-1 application to facilitate processing by FEMA. Attendees will learn what is required to submit a complete application, including how to fill out the forms and use FEMA’s new online LOMC submittal tool. In addition, the course will outline the differences between LOMAs, eLOMAs, LOMR-Fs, and conditional LOMCs. Participants will learn how to submit more complete LOMC requests that can be processed more quickly and with fewer additional data requests. The community’s role with regards to the MT-1 process will also be discussed. This course is designed for State and Local officials, engineers, surveyors, and anyone interested in learning more about the MT-1 process. Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits are available.

 

If you have questions about the webinars or course information, please contact the New England region STARR contact, Alex Sirotek:

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

Washington County – Do new maps show your Home in a Flood Hazard Area for the First Time?

The Washington County Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) will become effective on March 19, 2013.   This is an important time to look at your flood insurance needs.

If your structure is in the Special Flood Hazard Area for the first time (please see the earlier blog post “Washington County - New Flood Map Effective March 2013” ) then you should get flood insurance well before the map change to benefit from a more gradual change in insurance costs.

As a structure that is now in a Zone X (outside the Special Flood Hazard Area) your structure will probably qualify for the most favorable terms of a Preferred Risk Policy.  A Preferred Risk Policy is intended to cover the structure and contents from damage from overland flooding in areas that are not high risk areas.

The Preferred Risk Policy can be renewed on an annual basis twice after the effective date for the new Washington County DFIRM.  At the end of that period the actuarial rate of flood insurance for the structure will be determined and the cost of insurance will increase step-wise until the premium is at full actuarial rates for the correct risk zone.

In 2012 the Biggert-Waters Act made a number of changes to the National Flood Insurance Program.  Most of the changes are intended to eliminate subsides so as to cover the actual operating costs of the NFIP, and therefore flood insurance premiums are expected to increase.  The implementation of the B-W12 legislation is being phased in over the next few years.

During this period of map change there is still an opportunity to take advantage of the Preferred Risk Policy and PRP Extension.   To secure the PRP it would be best to have the insurance agent deposit the payment at least 30 days before the effective date of the new map.  Since the date of the new map in Washington County is March 19, 2013 - a PRP policy should be secured by early February.

 Existing Letters of Map Change

If your home or site has a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) you should check on what the effect of the new map will be.  Most LOMAs will continue to be valid; however other LOMAs will be affected by the new data and will no longer be valid.   Every municipality in Washington County has been provided with a Summary of Map Actions (SOMA) to identify how the new DFIRM will act on existing Letters of Map Change. 

Copies of LOMCs since 1997 are available online at the FEMA Map Service Center.

If your structure is currently out- by-letter but will be identified as in the Special Flood Hazard Area when maps become official in March,you should take advantage of the PRP option, too.

Contact your community Zoning Administrator for more information on the effect of the map, or, contact VT DEC with your LOMC Case Id number or street address.

Do you need Flood Insurance?

Perhaps, and it may be critical.  The Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map provides key information about exposure of locations to damage from inundation.  However flooding and flooding-related erosion damage occurs in many areas that are not well studied or mapped.

Your homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover damage caused by the overland flow of water.  Damage from this kind of impact is only covered by flood insurance.  Wet basements impacted by groundwater levels can be carried as a special rider on your homeowner’s policy.  Ask your insurance agent about these.

Aside from the legal requirements regarding mortgages and flood insurance, flood damage can and does occur more widely.  Damage from flooding can occur outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area when there are larger floods than the size that is mapped.  Overland flow can occur in Zone X for many reasons including local watershed changes, storm water management problems, failure of culverts, dams, ice jamming, and simple unstudied risk. 

Over 500 structures in Washington County will no longer be mapped as in a Special Flood Hazard Area after March 2013.  Flood insurance is still available to any structure in Washington County, however structures located in a Zone X will benefit from lower available flood insurance premiums. Confirm the flood zone of your home on the new Washington County DFIRM and then contact your insurance agent for more information.