October 18, 2019
Media Contact:
Scott L. Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today it was announced that the Howard County Department of Public Works Bureau of Environmental Services submitted its annual Community Rating System (CRS) recertification to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). To participate in the CRS, communities confirm annually that they are performing the necessary flood mitigation efforts to uphold the current rating status for flood insurance premiums. Those efforts are reviewed in greater detail every five years when the County prepares and submits a full reapplication to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the NFIP.
“Flood insurance is a crucial investment, providing the ability to recover and rebuild in the tragic event that flooding occurs. This recertification will help us maintain a Class 6 rating so our residents can continue receiving flood insurance reductions in their rate,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “At the County level, we will continue to do everything possible to keep our communities safe and ensure insurance rates are affordable for all our residents.”
Under the CRS, flood insurance premiums may be discounted based on community actions that help reduce flood damage to insurable property, strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP and demonstrate a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.
Participating communities must undertake some or all of 19 public information and floodplain management activities reflected on the federal checklist. The CRS assigns points for each of those activities. Once the County achieves certain point totals, homeowners in the designated floodplains become eligible for discounts on their flood insurance.
Howard County achieved an upgrade to Class 6 in 2018 based on improvements in several areas including:
- Outreach projects
- Open space preservation
- Floodplain management planning
- Flood protection information
- Map information service
- Higher regulatory standards for construction
With the upgrade County homeowners who live in a federally recognized Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) are eligible for a 20 percent discount on their flood insurance premiums. Certain policies for homeowners not in a SFHA are eligible for a 10% discount.
Howard County homeowners who want to know if they are located in a special flood hazard area can log on to the County’s website at https://data.howardcountymd.gov/gdfirm/main_Web.aspx for more information.
The National Flood Insurance Program was established in 1968 to help residents recover from flood losses through insurance, reduce future flood damages through state and community floodplain management regulations and reduce federal expenditures for disaster assistance and flood control. More than 1,400 communities nationwide participate in the CRS, which impacts nearly 3.6 million flood insurance policy holders.
To learn more about FEMA’s Community Rating System and to download brochures about the program, visit https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-rating-system.
A copy of the most recent annual re-certification is available upon request from the County.