HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 10 27 Informational 101 Plaque presented to the City by FEMA COMMISSION AGENDA
CONSENT
INFORMATIONAL X
ITEM 101 PUBLIC HEARING
REGULAR
October 27, 2008
MGR
Meeting Authorization
REQUEST: The Public Works Department - Stormwater Division is advising the City
Commission on a plaque recently presented to the City by FEMA recognizing
the City's successful participation in the National Flood Insurance Program's
Community Rating System.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to advise the City Commission on a plaque
recently presented to the City by FEMA recognizing the City's successful
participation in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating
System.
SUMMARY:
• On October 2, 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent a plaque
and a letter of congratulations to the City acknowledging the City's successes in the
National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (see letter attached).
• The City's community flood insurance rating was recently upgraded from Class 8 to Class
7 by the Insurance Services Office. The Class 7 rating provides a 15% rate reduction on
flood insurance policies issued for properties located within the 100 -year floodplain.
• The plaque and letter of appreciation were sent by FEMA as a token of their appreciation
for the City's efforts "to reduce loss of lives and mitigate property damage caused by
flooding and by developing activities that go above and beyond the minimum standards
of the NFIP."
• The upgrade to Class 7 is the result of the implementation and/or improvement of the
following floodplain management activities in the City over the past five years:
o Improved regulatory enforcement
o Enhanced GIS -based stormwater infrastructure maps
October 27, 2008
Informational Agenda Item 101
Page 2 of 3
o Periodic inspection of private stormwater systems
o Public outreach and providing accessible information (website)
o Increased regional coordination of stormwater activities
o Improved recordkeeping of floodplain management activities
CONSIDERATIONS:
• The U.S. Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with the
passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a Federal program
enabling property owners in participating communities to purchase flood insurance as a
protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain
management regulations that reduce future flood damages. The City of Winter Springs is
a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program.
• Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between communities and the Federal
Government. If a community adopts and enforces a floodplain management ordinance to
reduce future flood risk to new construction in floodplains, the Federal Government will
make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against
flood losses. This insurance is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster
assistance to reduce the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their
contents caused by floods.
• The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a
voluntary incentive program implemented in 1990 that recognizes and encourages
community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP
requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the
reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the
CRS: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the
awareness of flood insurance.
• For CRS participating communities, including Winter Springs, flood insurance premium
rates are discounted in increments of 5 %; i.e., a Class 1 community would receive a 45%
premium discount, while a Class 9 community would receive a 5% discount (a Class 10 is
not participating in the CRS and receives no discount). The CRS classes for local
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.
• The City of Winter Springs has participated in the Community Rating System (CRS)
program since 1992. As a condition of continued participation in the CRS program, the
City implements the credited activities and gets reviewed and recertified annually by the
Insurance Services Office. Until this year, the City has been rated as a Class 8, which
means a flood insurance premium rate reduction of 10 %. This rate reduction is available
on all flood insurance policies in the City for properties in the 100 -year floodplain.
October 27, 2008
Informational Agenda Item 101
Page 3 of 3
• This year, the 5 -year review performed by the Insurance Services Office elevated the
City's rating from Class 8 to Class 7, which provides an additional 5% flood insurance
rate reduction. The total flood insurance rate reduction available on all flood insurance
policies in the City is now 15 %.
FUNDING: N/A
RECOMMENDATION: N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Attachment A - Letter from FEMA dated October 2, 2008
COMMISSION ACTION:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Region IV
3003 Chamblee Tucker Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
FEMA } O
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October 2, 2008
The Honorable John Bush
Mayor, City of Winter Springs
1126 East State Rd. 434
Winter Springs, Florida 32708
Re: Congratulations — Community Rating System
Dear Mayor Bush:
As a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), your community made a
decision several years ago to participate in the NFIP's Community Rating System (CRS). As a
result of your community's outstanding performance, flood insurance policyholders within your
jurisdiction are afforded a reduced premium on their policies.
As a token of our appreciation for your community's efforts to reduce loss of lives and mitigate
property damage caused by flooding and by developing activities that go above and beyond the
minimum standards of the NFIP, we are pleased to present to you, this plaque acknowledging
your successes in the CRS. All of us at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and, in
particular, Region N, congratulate you for your accomplishment.
In the years to come, we hope that you and your community will aim even higher and pursue
additional avenues to raise your CRS rating. Please give us a call at (770) 220 -5400 if we can be
of assistance.
Sincerely,
Brad G. Loar, CFM, Director
Mitigation Division
Cc: Zynka Perez
Stormwater Utility Manager
1126 East State Rd. 434
Winter Springs, FL 32708
www.fema.gov