Communities with Class

Twelve new communities have joined the NFIP Community Rating System (CRS) since October 2007, and 34 communities have improved their CRS class designations. In all 46 communities, residents are now more aware of flood risks and better protected from flood losses than ever before. In addition, as their NFIP flood insurance policies are renewed, they will receive reductions in their premiums!

It Pays to Mitigate

The CRS is one of the most successful risk-reduction programs FEMA has implemented in local communities. A voluntary incentive program, the CRS recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities exceeding the minimum NFIP requirements. Communities earn credit by engaging in 18 activities organized under four categories: Public Information, Mapping and Regulations, Flood Damage Reduction, and Flood Preparedness. CRS class designation is determined by how many credits a community earns through these activities. CRS classes range from a Class 9 (requiring 500-999 CRS credits) to a Class 1 (requiring 4,500 or more CRS credits). Each class is associated with a percentage of annual NFIP flood insurance premium discount. Residents of a Class 9 CRS community receive a 5-percent premium discount; residents of a Class 1 community receive a 45-percent discount on their premiums.

New to the CRS

More than half of the communities that joined the CRS since October 2007 are located in the Western United States: Poway and San Diego County, California; Gem County, Idaho; San Juan County, New Mexico, Troutdale and Salem, Oregon; and Orting, Washington. The CRS also welcomes Suamico, Wisconsin; Lake in the Hills, Illinois; Picayune, Mississippi; Berkeley County, South Carolina; and Hull, Massachusetts.

Many new communities enter the CRS as Class 9, earning a 5-percent premium discount for their citizens. This year, however, because they were already engaged in many creditable activities, 6 of the new communities entered the CRS at Class 8 (with a 10-percent discount), and two—Lake in the Hills, Illinois, and Orting, Washington—entered at Class 7 (with a 15-percent discount).

Advancing Their Class and Increasing Their NFIP Discount

A community can improve its CRS class designation and increase the premium discount available to residents by engaging in activities that earn more CRS credits. Since October 2007, 34 communities have improved their class rating (increasing their premium discount by 5 percent or more).

The 2 communities moving from Class 6 to Class 5—providing a 25 percent discount for their residents’ insurance premiums—are Orange County, Florida, and Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government, Kentucky.

Sometimes communities earn so many CRS credits during a review cycle, they skip a class, increasing NFIP premium discounts for their residents by 10 percent. Since October 2007, 4 communities— Bryan, Texas; Dearborn Heights, Michigan; Lexington, Kentucky; and Oregon City, Oregon—moved from Class 9 to Class 7, with a commensurate increase in NFIP premiums for their citizens from 5 percent to 15 percent. Orlando, Florida, and Index, Washington, moved from Class 8 to Class 6 CRS communities, replacing the 10-percent premium discount residents had received with a 20-percent NFIP discount. The City of Auburn, Washington, moved from a Class 7 (15-percent discount) to a Class 5 (25-percent discount). Also, Pierce County, Washington, moved from a Class 5 (25-percent discount) to a Class 3 (35-percent discount). Congratulations to all of these communities!

How Do You Rate?

If you would like learn more about joining the CRS or want to assist your community in improving its CRS class and increasing the NFIP premium discount available for residents, visit the CRS Resource Center website.