The Community Rating System as a Component of Municipal Flood Mitigation Efforts in the US Case Studies of Florida and Pennsylvania

Transcription

1 The Community Rating System as a Component of Municipal Flood Mitigation Efforts in the US Case Studies of Florida and Pennsylvania Michele Weitzel L. Donald Duke, Ph.D., P.E. Florida Gulf Coast University Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences AWRA 2016 Annual Meeting Orlando, FL November 14, 2016

2 NFIP Faces Funding Problem Iowa-2016, mnginteractive.com Houston-2016, speedsociety.com Biggert-Waters Act raises flood insurance rates, many unable to afford CRS only program that gives discount NC-2016, voiszneias.com LA- govtech.com,2016 Ellicot City Md-2016,Scott Weaver

3 Advantages of FEMA s CRS Reduced flood insurance premiums Technical support for mitigation Public information activity provides access to flood information, which helps support further programs Guidance regimes for implementation and maintenance of programs FEMA.gov

4 Value to municipal entities Municipal level is where many flood mitigation decisions are made (AWRA Proactive Flood and Drought volumes I, II) CRS can be a driving force for municipalities flood mitigation efforts- Fort Collins CO Flood damages decrease by approximately 15% for every 1 unit increase in CRS rating (Brody, 2007) It works! We are much more prepared for a flooding event. (Mary Ellen Ramage, Etna Borough PA) But states have a very uneven response to the CRS. Some states many municipalities adopt others very few.

5 CRS Participating Municipalities Across the US

6 CRS Participation Varies by State State 2016 Number of participating communities Class 1-4 Class 5-6 Class 7 Class 8-9 Florida California Texas Pennsylvania U.S., total Courtesy Josh Overmyer, FLCRS Initiative

7 CRS Discounts Per Classification Class Discount Class Discount

8 Year NFIP/CRS Participation NFIP Policies NFIP # Communities CRS # Communities CRS % NFIP M 21,700 1, M > 22,000 1, M >22,000 1, Flood Policies Decreasing NFIP/CRS, 2016 CRS Participation Increasing Influenced by Biggert-Waters??

9 Funded study: Center for Rural Pennsylvania How policies at Federal level affect Rural Communities Economic study focuses on affordability of NFIP Insurance Legal framework of Biggert-Waters and amendments Pennsylvania's centuries long historical and cultural centers lie within small town floodplains-how to mitigate flooding without abandoning history NFIP approach; move sensitive uses out This research investigates the role of CRS in mitigating floods in historic small towns

10 Approach Evaluate 30 municipalities, target 15 from each state Participating and non-participating Characterize the level of participation Use published material, Reports to agencies, and Internet information Conduct first-hand interviews with floodplain managers Identify barriers faced in implementation, also value of program

11 Case Study 1-Florida 1,197 miles of shoreline More than 11,000 miles of rivers streams and waterways 41% of state is flood prone > 55 inches rain per year Low lying topography More than 200 participating communities Pensacola,2014_mashable.com

12 Case Study 2-Pennsylvania More than 86,000 miles of streams Historic towns established in floodplains Have received approximately $1.2 billion in payments from the National Flood Insurance Program 29 participating communities Photo by Don Duke FEMA flood map; Johnstown City PA

13 Survey Questions Participating Communities Level of support from Top Management (City Council/mayor) Did CRS facilitate your mitigation activities What barriers did you face What was the most helpful program assisting you with CRS Non-Participating Do you know about CRS Barriers to participation Where do you get support for mitigation activities What would lead your town to participate in CRS

14 Expected Results: Possible inhibiting factors Floodplain managers have several other responsibilities Risk perception lower than expected benefit to justify upfront costs Lack Coordinated Watershed Floodplain Management Lack Communication between local towns, county, and state Examples of floodplain managers Mayor Town Managers Code Enforcement Officers Zoning Officer Director of Community & Economic Development Director of Public Works

15 Expected Conclusions The extent to which participants report that their CRS participation succeeds in promoting actions that they use to mitigate flood risk Whether CRS or other programs have driven, encouraged, or facilitated those actions What factors participants report to inhibit or promote CRS Recommendations: How FEMA can increase participation

16 Acknowledgements Funding from The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Josh Overmyer, CRS Specialist from FLCRS Initiative Interviews with Floodplain Managers from CRP Jeremy Young, Disaster Planning for Historic Properties Initiative Billie Jacoby, CRS Coordinator Ft. Myers FL

17 Photo Credits media2.govtech.com/images/flickr_usda-us-coast-guard_petty-officer-1st-class-melissa-leake.jpg USBigSnowstormCoastalFlooding~1.jpg Citations Brody, Samuel D.;Zahran, Sammy;Maghelal, Praveen;Grover, Himanshu;Highfield, Wesley E The Rising Cost of Flooding: Examining the Impact of Planning and Development Decisions on Property Damage in Florida American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association; Summer 2007; 73, 3; L. Donald Duke, et al. (2015). Proactive Flood and Drought Management, Volume II: A Selection of Applied Strategies and Lessons Learned From Around the United States. American Water Resources White paper; available at awra.org FEMA Community Rating System. Overmyer Josh, CRS Specialist, Florida CRS Initiative, Bureau of Mitigation. PC Young Jeremy, (2016) Project Manager, Disaster Planning for Historic Properties Initiative, PASHPO). Policy numbers and payout stats per town PA, 1978 Dec. 31, Etna Borough 2016, Mary Ellen Ramage Borough Manager. PC