PRESS RELEASE DETAIL

For Immediate Release

Release Date: 07/28/2014

PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY TO LOWER HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IN EBRP

The citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish will soon be receiving Flood Awareness Facts in their water/sewer bills in an effort to lower costs associated with insurance flood rates, as well as inform property owners of potential flood hazards in our area. The mailing will also include information on flood safety, flood warning and preparedness, flood insurance requirements, property protection measures and other useful information. According to Lynette Richardson, DPW Engineering/Community Rating System Coordinator, this public awareness campaign will result in our community receiving a discount on their flood insurance. These discounts will automatically be seen on your insurance bill as a (CRS) discount.

“The City of Baton Rouge joined the Capital Region Area Floodplain Task-force (CRAFT), a multi-jurisdictional program for Public Information, and with the assistance of the City of Baton Rouge Public Information Office, plans to implement several outreach projects throughout the year in an effort to lower our Class Rating,” says Bryan Harmon, EBRP Interim DPW Director.
The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Currently, East Baton Rouge Parish has a 6 Rating and receives a 20 discount on flood insurance premium rates. A Class 6 rating means that over 26,000 policyholders in East Baton Rouge Parish will benefit from a reduction in annual flood insurance premiums.

Under the CRS, there is an incentive for communities to do more than just regulate construction of new buildings to minimum national standards. 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).
Flood insurance premiums are adjusted to reflect community activities that reduce flood damage to existing buildings, manage development in areas not mapped by the NFIP, protect new buildings beyond the minimum NFIP protection level, help insurance agents obtain flood data, and help people obtain flood insurance.
For CRS participating communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted in increments of 5; i.e., a Class 1 community would receive a 45 premium discount, while a Class 9 community would receive a 5. The CRS classes for local communities are based on 18 creditable activities, organized under four categories: (i) Public Information, (ii) Mapping and Regulations, (iii) Flood Damage Reduction, and (iv) Flood Preparedness.
As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS:
1. Reduce flood losses;
2. Facilitate accurate insurance rating; and
3. Promote the awareness of flood insurance.
Nationwide there are 1095 communities receiving flood insurance premium discounts based on their implementation of local mitigation, outreach, and educational activities that go well beyond minimum NFIP requirements. While premium discounts are one of the benefits of participation in CRS, it is more important that these communities are carrying out activities that save lives and reduce property damage. These 1095 communities represent a significant portion of the Nation's flood risk as evidenced by the fact that over 66 of the NFIP's policy base is located in these communities.
For further information, please visit the EBR Website brgov.com or msc.fema.gov or lsuagcenter.com/floodmaps.