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Hillsborough County Tests Map Mod OutreachMary Jo Vrem, FEMAHillsborough County, Florida, is a large, highly populated, urban county surrounding Tampa, Florida. Including the Cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace, the county has a population of more than 1 million people within its 1,100-square-mile area. Although it is situated in a coastal area, the county is also quite susceptible to riverine and inland flooding. Its flood hazards were first mapped in 1980. That map was followed by five map updates, but only in portions of the county. In 1992, Hillsborough County became an NFIP Community Rating System (CRS) community. Through its dedicated efforts to adopt and enforce more stringent floodplain management measures, the county now has a CRS Class 6 rating, earning county NFIP policyholders a 20 percent discount on their annual premiums. Having experienced substantial development and significant El Niņo-related flooding in low- and moderate-risk areas in 1997 and 1998, county officials recognized that they needed to further improve their floodplain management. With this goal in mind, Hillsborough County became a FEMA Cooperating Technical Partner in 1999, and embarked on a journey to thoroughly update its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Communicating the Risks Using primarily county funds, the entire county (except coastal areas and most of the incorporated sections of the three cities within the county) was set to be remapped. The county used its own risk modeling techniques and platforms, allowing greater flexibility in data management. Early on, the county realized the tremendous impact remapping would have on a number of constituencies including property owners, builders and developers, county planners, insurance and real estate agents, and others. Initial analysis showed that more than 10,000 parcels of land would be mapped outside a high-risk zone (Special Flood Hazard Area) and more than 20,000 would be mapped inside a high-risk zone. Early estimates also suggested that another 60,000+ parcels might have a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) change. Because the map changes threatened to impact so many properties, key stakeholders (i.e., community officials, insurance agents and WYO companies, real estate agents, surveyors, builders, and homeowners associations) were invited to be part of the process, share their concerns, and recommend strategies to best communicate with members of their specific industry. This local Stakeholder Advisory Group was very active throughout the map modernization process, providing important practical feedback on outreach messages and materials, and helping to inform their colleagues and constituents of upcoming changes. In early 2005, Hillsborough County was approached to see if it would like to partner with FEMA and its FloodSmart campaign contractor (JWT) to develop and test outreach material that focused on the effects of map changes on insurance. The FloodSmart Team worked with Hillsborough County officials throughout the summer and early fall to create materials that would help community officials inform various stakeholder groups, the media, and the public about map changes and their implications. These pieces were vetted through the Stakeholder Advisory Group and then used to shape presentations and for distribution at local and organizational meetings. Unifying the Message The FloodSmart Team and Hillsborough County jointly developed a suite of materials that enabled county personnel and FEMA representatives to highlight key points and stay on message in their meetings with the press and presentations to the County Commissioners. Media analysis of the local press coverage that ensued showed how successfully the FloodSmart/Hillsborough effort informed and engaged the press. Media outlets covered the story accurately and consistently focused on central and positive flood insurance and mitigation messages. On the basis of feedback from the use of the outreach material, the FloodSmart Team has now created template versions of these pieces that are available for use by other communities that are going through a remapping. Outreach material designed specifically for insurance agents has been placed on FloodSmart's Secure Site For Agents. Mary Jo Vrem is FEMA's Program Officer for the FloodSmart Campaign. She has worked with FEMA for 11 years. |
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Last updated on December 1, 2006
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