CRS Webinar Trainings Available

The CRS offers webinars and workshops to help communities with their CRS requirements. If you are interested in having a webinar on the 2013 Coordinator’s Manual, the FEMA Elevation Certificate, or any other activity, contact your ISO/CRS Specialist. The following one-hour topical webinars are on the calendar, and others can be scheduled as needed. Many of these will be recorded, so they can be accessed later.

Registration is free, but required, as space is limited. Some courses provide continuing education credits for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs). For more details and to register, go to www.CRSresources.org/training.

            All webinars begin at 1:00 pm EST

--Introduction to the CRS— May 20, 2014; July 15, 2014; October 21, 2014; December 16, 2014

--Activity 430 (Higher Regulatory Standards)—  May 21, 2014

--Preparing for a Verification Visit with the 2013 Coordinator’s Manual—June 17, 2014; November 18, 2014

--Natural Floodplain Functions— June 18, 2014; August 20, 2014

--Activity 540 (Drainage System Maintenance) — July 16, 2014; September 17, 2014

--Preparing for the Annual CRS Recertification— August 19, 2014; September 16, 2014

--Developing Outreach Projects under Activity 330— October 22, 2014

--Activity 610 (Flood Warning and Response) — November 19, 2014

--Developing a Program for Public Information under Activity 330 or a Coverage Improvement Plan under Activity 370, and Using FloodSmart Tools— December 17, 2014

Some of the other webinars anticipated in 2014 and 2015 are

--CRS Credit for Mapping and Regulations: The 400 Series

--CRS Credit for Flood Damage Reduction: The 500 Series

--The CRS and Climate Change.

For more on the CRS webinar series, to register, and to obtain agendas and required materials, go to www.CRSresources.org/training. If you have questions about the CRS Webinar Series or suggestions for future topics, please contact Becca.Croft@atkinsglobal.com.

Planning for Increasing Precipitation and Flooding

A recent article was published in the New York Times on 5/12/14 - "Looks Like Rain Again.  And Again."  In the article, the author cites past studies from 2 decades ago or earlier that predicted the changes in our climate that we are now living through, namely increased precipitation during storm events.  Long term climate data has shown that the Northeastern US has seen a dramatic increase in precipitation amounts falling during storm events.  And when there is an increase in the amount of rain or snow falling during a storm, it usually ends up resulting in a greater frequency of flooding in places that have traditionally acted as floodplains.  Another result may be that people may start to see areas that had very rarely flooded in the past flood on a somewhat regular basis.  Some of these thoughts and ideas can be seen in a New York Times blog post "Three Long Views of Life With Rising Seas" that contains 3 interviews focused on how humans may look to deal with impacts from sea level rise.

This isn't the first time that we have seen evidence of increasing precipitation in the Northeastern US.  If anyone reading this has been to one of our presentations to communities, you may have seen a graphic that was taken from a report that was released from the White House Council on Environmental Quality -"Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (10/2010)".  This report found that there had been a 67% increase in the amount of precipitation that was falling during the heaviest storm events each year.  That means that the biggest storm events that we experience each year is bringing more rain or snow on average.

I think that many Vermont communities have been experiencing this increase in precipitation and flooding first hand.  Some of you may already be aware of the ANR Flood Resilience Sharepoint website.  This website aims to include information that individuals and community officials can use to better prepare for the increased flooding and precipitation that we have been experiencing around the State and in New England.  This Sharepoint site will be replaced this summer by a collaborative website that will be called Flood Ready.  The intent of the Flood Ready website is to expand upon the information that can be found on the ANR Flood Resilience Sharepoint site and present it in a way that can be helpful to a wide range of users.

Have you been noticing changes in your own community?  What steps have you been taking to try to address this issue?

Vermont Bill H.676 Was Signed into Law on 4/17/2014

Ok... So what is bill H.676? Why are we posting information about this change here?  For those of you who are not following the Vermont legislative session as closely as March Madness brackets or the latest episode of Game of Thrones, it is a pretty short but effective bill at helping to clean up inconsistencies in Vermont statute with regards to floodplain protections.  The final bill that was passed by the House and Senate (which can be found here) makes two amendments to existing statute.  At this time, I do not know if it has a final "Act" number.

The first change was to Act 138 from the 2012 Legislative session that established authority for ANR to create a State Floodplain Rule.  This State Floodplain Rule would apply for uses and development exempt from local municipal regulation (aka 24 VSA 4413 statute).  This state rule would really only apply to a few limited categories of uses: State owned and operated facilities, Accepted Agricultural Practices, Accepted Silvicultural Practices, and public utility power-generating and transmission facilities subject to regulation by the Public Service Board.  Act 138 was not clear on whether or not the ANR would have the ability to include the regulation of river corridor areas in addition to FEMA's mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) in the State Floodplain Rule.  The first part of H.676 helps to clarify that there is authority for regulating development in both the SFHA and the river corridor for these limited categories of projects.  Therefore, it will be an ANR State Floodplain & River Corridor Rule which will include river corridor protections for that limited list of municipally exempt development.

The second change was made to 24 VSA statute 4413 to clarify municipal jurisdiction around limited uses and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  For most of the traditional uses and development that a community has limited authority to regulate, the community now has the authority to regulate those uses for compliance with both the community's NFIP standards and any river corridor standards.  This development would include:

• Community-owned and operated institutions and facilities;
• Public and private schools and other educational institutions;
• Churches and other places of worship;
• Public and private hospitals;
• Regional solid waste management facilities;
• Construction of hazardous waste management facilities

H. 676 makes it clear that our ANR State Floodplain & River Corridor Rule would not apply to these types of development, but would otherwise be reviewed by the community against its own flood hazard area requirements.

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.