Protect Your Community from Early Spring Flooding Risks

While March brings the promise of warmer weather and longer days, many communities still face the risk of flooding. Just four years ago, late winter storms swept through almost every state from Pennsylvania to Texas, causing flooding in most. In Missouri, paid losses reached over $13 million and policyholders in Texas filed over 3,000 paid losses totaling more than $127 million.

In 2009, counties throughout North Dakota and Minnesota also experienced severe late winter/early spring flooding. A combination of a cold winter, resulting in frozen grounds, coupled with snow melt and heavy rain, raised the Red River to over 20 feet in most places before cresting. This caused over $9 million in damages throughout 42 counties and on two Indian reservations, despite preemptive measures, such as sandbagging, taken by several communities.

In 2010, most of the country experienced a wetter-than-normal winter followed by heavy spring rains that caused flooding. The Red River in the Midwest rose to almost 40 feet before cresting. When the storms hit Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the frozen ground made absorption difficult. Heavy rains began on March 12, drenching most of the eastern portion of Massachusetts. The rain was relentless for days, shattering previous rainfall records and resulted in a federally declared disaster.
Recovering from such devastation is lengthy and difficult, particularly for those without flood insurance. According to FEMA records, nearly 7,000 Massachusetts residences were impacted by the 2010 floods, and 422 experienced major damage.

Over $27 million in total individual assistance was provided, mostly in the form of disaster loans that have to be repaid along with any existing mortgages. Sadly, even after these floods and subsequent flooding from other storms like Hurricane Irene, out of three million households only about 55,800 polices are in force (November 30, 2011).

With flooding occurring in different parts of the nation, now is an excellent time to remind residents and business owners in your community about the importance of flood insurance.
You may also be interested in viewing and utilizing information from a Multimedia News Release (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109573620877&s=399&e=0019hHsA-DgwsiHd617Djvx6H_Oao6pbXE4lZkdt4NOpz5ZsWcQ3hmdGkHt_LFhKrGh-sX8sBEz8KsU9YdxSxePQE01beC_HkXMKP4VaL2XiJwAGZcpQcyDC1XnOf0Hx5e5Dl28sdI_SYL_Ym7OiGP0MpRq2S4gdSqH) that FloodSmart recently distributed to media outlets around the nation.

This release highlights flooding risks during the winter months and includes video of customer testimonials and dramatic footage of recent floods.

FloodSmart Web Sites Offer New Resources for Consumers, Agents and FloodSmart Partners.

Have you visited FloodSmart’s consumer or agent Web sites lately? In the next few weeks you’ll see several interesting additions, including:
· New Community Resource Page - FloodSmart has a new resource for stakeholders and communities that want to go the extra mile to help property owners better understand their flood risk and the financial impact of flooding. This new page on FloodSmart.gov provides shareable tools for communicating the risks, causes and costs of flooding and a wealth of information about how to empower local residents to obtain flood insurance policies. Learn more at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109573620877&s=399&e=0019hHsA-Dgwsi4lG6IfOi9daUobttQAj1qm1gyGEDJnyLsu_0Wr-UV0mBqmPaeTww9wMXfuhVICMwYpZQ8TgYnTKdwfnm_7zxZm4XXEwqvFZoYvZpLRwTJbPy2uShSapMVPWSAslRHLlsYkfy4NJJEh4pm9PcL0SUMsqRSUGiBI83_29l7pKZRjQ==.
· Updated Map Change Toolkit - The Map Change Toolkit is a comprehensive suite of materials that help local leaders, lending, insurance and realty professionals, builders, developers, and others communicate about the insurance implications of local flood map updates. The kit is being updated to include more current data and reflect the evolution of mapping efforts. It includes templates for outreach that can be customized with local data and flood history information. Look for it at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109573620877&s=399&e=0019hHsA-DgwsjfBL-tYMl_eItFhD0vraeqQXwWIDAYZZPqmq3u997bD-stL47VhFextaSEGpeCEkktjT-VFsi1hqXUCcYB-qD5uT-4V9W8pJFn0_S5yp9qYH0Fd0Nd4iuM.
FEMA Seeks Public Comments on Draft National Mitigation Framework
FEMA has developed a working draft of the National Mitigation Framework that outlines the roles that individuals, the private sector, community leaders, and others should play in managing risks of disasters. The framework also provides information that state, territorial, tribal, and local governments and private sector partners can use to develop or revise mitigation plans.
FEMA is encouraging feedback from stakeholders on the framework, which can be found at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109573620877&s=399&e=0019hHsA-DgwsjtDMP7LVZzpzikm_6Uc626qYu8p-kiiEQAf6xiyG0Z-dU_tBMvTafIvILG00-4oa_dEf8J0wrMiWU31Sg1tQuZcheORWX3QMfVRgqzRpzPew== (“Working Draft: National Mitigation Framework”). To comment, please use the “National Mitigation Framework Submission Form,” which is also located at that site. Submission forms are due Monday, April 2 at noon EDT and should be emailed to PPD8-Engagement@fema.gov.
Look for FloodSmart at Upcoming Conferences

FloodSmart will be attending numerous conferences around the country this year in support of our key stakeholders, including FLASH, ASFPM, NACo, and key state floodplain manager and emergency management agencies. FloodSmart recently presented at NOAA's Social Coast Forum in Charleston, SC, the Michigan Flood and Stormwater Association Conference in Detroit, and the Virginia Water Conference in Richmond, and will have a presence at the National Flood Conference as well. Please visit us at the FloodSmart booth!

Visit the National Flood Insurance Program Web sites at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109573620877&s=399&e=0019hHsA-DgwsjVvEJ9Ltzbzw5H_UpdbPbyp-l_pYW94SxzLTe2dA174OcZU4Tk2T12gWNG1MPx2u56BSQU6vwi29ucGOnJqPzZW33FdiJ4IxMP0WfbUJGRIGokA5PKT0s8FloodSmart.gov and Agents.FloodSmart.gov Email us at info@femafloodsmart.gov FEMA, 500 C Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20472