Unit 2: The national Flood Insurance Program

What are flood maps and data used for?

1. Communities, states and Federal agencies use them as the basis for the regulating new floodprone construction. 2. Insurance agents use them when rating flood insurance policies. 3. Lenders and Federal agencies used them to determine when flood insurance must be purchased as a condition of a loan or financial assistance.

What did the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 do?

1. Prohibited most types of Federal assistance for acquisition or construction of buildings in the floodplains of non-participating communities. 2. Required Buildings located in identified flood hazard areas have flood insurance coverage as a condition of receiving Federal financial assistance or loans from federally insured or regulated lenders, and as condition for receiving federal disaster assistance.

What are the three approaches to recourse if a community fails to adequately enforce its floodplain management regulations?

1. Reclassification under the Community Rating System. 2. Probation 3. Suspension from the program.

What are the two kinds of maps FEMA has issued?

1. The Flood Hazard Boundary Map 2. The Flood Insurance Rate Map

What did NFIP do?

1. Transfer the costs of private property flood losses from the taxpayers to floodplain property owners through flood insurance premiums. 2. Provide floodplain residents and property owners with financial aid after floods, especially smaller floods that do not warrant federal disaster aid. 3. Guide development away from flood hazard areas. 4. Require that new and substantially improved buildings be constructed in ways that would minimize or prevent damage during a flood.

When did Congress pass the National Flood Insurance Act?

1968

When was the Flood Disaster Protection Act passed?

1973

How does the NFIP regulations define "flood"?

A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from: 1. The overflow of inland or tidal waters 2. The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

How is community defined by the NFIP?

A governmental body with the statutory authority to enact and enforce development regulations.

What is the NFIP founded on?

A mutual agreement between the federal government and each participating community.

What is CRS?

A program that provides a discount in the flood insurance premiums for properties in communities that participate in the CRS and implement floodplain management programs that exceed minimum NFIP requirements.

What is the Community Assistance Program (CAP)?

A program that that helps the NFIP state coordinating agency provide technical assistance to communities and to monitor and evaluate their work at a 75 percent / 25 percent cost.

What is Suspension?

After a period of probation, a community still fails to enforce floodplain management regulations. 30 days.

What are post-FIRM buildings?

Buildings built after the release of FIRMs or new construction.

What are pre-FIRM buildings?

Buildings that pre-date the FIRMs.

What Federal Department is FEMA a part of?

Department of Homeland Security

What department does FEMA reside?

Department of Homeland Security.

Who currently administrates the NFIP?

Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

What did the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 do?

Fine Tuned various aspects of the program, such as authorizing the Community Rating System (CRS), increasing the maximum amount of flood insurance coverage, strengthening the mandatory purchase requirement, and establishing a grant program for mitigation plans and projects.

What are the three basic parts to the NFIP?

Mapping, insurance, and regulations.

What was the Flood Insurance Rate Map?

Maps showing DETAILED locations of floodplains.

What was the Flood Hazard Boundary Map?

Maps showing the APPROXIMATE locations of floodplains.

What did the National Flood Insurance Act create?

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

What is Probation?

Represents formal notification to the community that FEMA regards the community's floodplain management program as non-compliant with NFIP criteria. 90 days.

What is the Washington DC FEMA Mitigation Division do?

Set national policy for floodplain regulations, researches floodplain construction practices and administrators the flood hazard mapping program.

How many Regional Offices does FEMA have?

Ten

What is the "Regular Phase"?

The point when the NFIP criteria are met and the FIRM is adopted.

What is the community's role in the NFIP?

To enact and implement floodplain regulations required for participation in the NFIP. Both state and federal measures must be met.

True or False: The official definition of "flood" by the NFIP includes mudflows and erosion.

True

What is the "Emergency Phase"?

When a community has joined the NFIP and they only have a Flood Hazard Boundary Map and are responsible for providing new, detailed data.

What did congress conclude about flood insurance in the 1960s

1. Although Federal flood programs were funded by all taxpayers, they primarily helped only residents of floodplains. 2. Flood protections structures were expensive and could not protect everyone. 3. People continued to build and live in floodplains, this still risking disaster. 4. Disaster relief was both inadequate and expensive. 5. The private insurance industry could not sell affordable flood insurance because only those at high risk would buy it.

What do the Regional Office's do?

1. Assisting the state NFIP coordinating agencies. 2. Assessing community compliance with the minimum NFIP criteria. 3. Advising local officials responsible for administering the ordinance. 4. Answering questions from design professionals and the public. 5. Approving community floodplain management regulations. 6. Providing information and training on the flood insurance purchase requirements.

What does the State's role in the NFIP usually include?

1. Ensuring that communities have the legal authorities necessary to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations. 2. Establishing minimum state regulatory requirements consistent with the NFIP. 3. Providing technical and specialized assistance to local governments. 4. Coordinating the activities of various state agencies that affect the NFIP.

What does the community commit itself to when participating in the NFIP?

1. Issuing or denying floodplain development/building permits. 2. Inspecting all development to assure compliance with the local ordinance. 3. Maintaining records of floodplain development. 4. Assisting in the preparation and revision of floodplain maps. 5. Helping residents obtain information on flood hazards, floodplain map data, flood insurance, and proper construction measures.

What three things could happen if a community were to allow construction in the floodplain that violates the federal or local regulations?

1. New buildings would be subject to flood damage. 2. Insurance on an improperly constructed building may be extremely expensive. 3. FEMA can impose sanctions on the community, to encourage it to correct its floodplain management program.