INSIDE s Independent Report Concludes Mitigation Works page 2 s FEMAs Redesigned Website page 3 s Lower Cost Flood Insurance page 3 s Important Facts You Should Know page 4 From the Georgia Floodplain Management Office Department of Natural Resources How Map Modernization Affects Insurance Companies & Agents Volume 6 Issue 2 Spring 2006 Map Modernization is the comprehensive effort lead by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the Nation's flood maps. The primary goals of Map Modernization are to reduce the loss of life and property, minimize suffering and disruption caused by disaster, and better prepare the Nation to address the consequences of flooding and other hazards. Increasing development, severe weather events, and other activities in floodplains have altered the flood risks currently reflected on many of the Nation's existing Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). New technology has evolved that allows for increased accuracy and the ability to create and store flood data online in a Geographic Information System (GIS) format. Up-to-date, accessible flood hazard maps enable an actuarially sound flood insurance system, wise floodplain management, and increase the Nation's flood hazard awareness. It will also provide a more comprehensive approach to disaster mitigation planning, economic development, and emergency response. Map Modernization enables communities to manage flood risks, water resources, land-use, and other responsibilities more effectively. Communities will be empowered to update maps and data as risks change. Integration of multi-hazard data will provide a broader view of the total risk. Map Modernization is a collaborative process and touches a broad stakeholder community whose goals and outcomes will be aligned. Community planners and local officials will gain a greater understanding of the flood hazards and risks that affect their community. Map Modernization enhances the ability to manage risks and other issues locally. Reliable data about flood risk helps communities manage development and enables citizens to purchase flood insurance based on actual risk. New flood data reflecting current conditions enables citizens to more reliable know their flood risk, and take action. Builders and developers will have detailed information for making well-informed decisions on where to build and how they can affect flood zones. Insurance agents and lending institutions will clearly understand map changes and what they need to do. ground A publication of Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division Floodplain Management Office 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Suite 440 Atlanta, Georgia 30334 404-656-6382 (ph) 404-656-6383 (fax) PERSONNEL: Collis O. Brown, CFM State Coordinator Email: Collis_Brown@dnr.state.ga.us Mindy Crean, CFM Environmental Specialist Email: Mindy_Crean@dnr.state.ga.us Alan Giles Information Geologist Email: Alan_Giles@dnr.state.ga.us Sonya Isreal Receptionist Email: Sonya_Isreal@dnr.state.ga.us ASFPM 30TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) will convene the world's largest and most comprehensive floodplain management conference the week of June 11, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check ASFPM website at www.floods.org for conference details. This year's conference theme: Floodplain Management Crossroads Where Route 66 Meets the Rio Grande. GAFM PLANS TECHNICAL CONFERENCE Mark your calendars for the first annual Technical Conference of the new Georgia Association of Floodplain Management (GAFM)- March 16 & 17, 2006 in Augusta, Georgia. You do not want to miss this opportunity for training, information, and networking. Conference qualifies for CECs under the CFM Program. Contact GA Floodplain Management Office for registration and fee information at (404) 656-6382. Home and business owners will be better informed about their current flood risks. INSURANCE COMPANIES AND AGENTS HAVE A KEY ROLE IN MAP MODERNIZATION Insurance companies and agents play an important role in educating the public. In addition to knowing when the map changes will occur, they will need to know what to do and what to tell the home and business owner. In some situations, taking advantage of the National Flood Insurance Program's Grandfather rules may make sense; while in others, providing continuous protection with a Preferred Risk Policy may be the solution. Either way, the risk levels are changing and the risks are real. Independent Report Concludes Mitigation Works Every dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of four dollars, according to a new study released December 19, by the Multihazard Mitigation Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences. The study examined hazard mitigation grants over a 10-year period (1993 - 2003) that were aimed at reducing future losses from earthquakes, floods and high wind. It found that these efforts were successful and cost-effective. According to the study, mitigation results "in significant net benefits to society as a whole to individuals, to States and to communities in terms of future reduced resource losses and significant savings to the Federal treasury in terms of future increased tax revenues and future reduced hazard-related expenditures." The study was mandated by Congress and conducted independently by the Council. It involved two interrelated components, (1) a benefit-cost analysis of a broad sample of FEMA mitigation grants and (2) additional empirical research on FEMA-funded mitigation activities carried out in eight selected communities. The community studies examined all FEMA mitigation grants received by the selected communities between the years of 1988-2003. Key findings include: On the average, a dollar spent on mitigation saves society $4. In addition to savings to society, the federal treasury can redirect an average of $3.65 for each dollar spent on mitigation as a result of disaster relief costs and tax losses avoided. In each of the eight communities studied in depth, FEMA mitigation grants were a significant part of the community's mitigation history and often led to additional loss reduction activities. Mitigation is sufficiently cost-effective to warrant federal funding on an ongoing basis both before disasters and during post-disaster recovery." "We've all seen that mitigation helps to save lives and reduce property damage," said David I. Maurstad, FEMA's Acting Director of Mitigation. "But until the MMC study we haven't had independent, objective, quantitative data analysis to show that building stronger and safer is also a sound investment." Copies of the study are available at http://www.nibs.org/MMC/mmcactiv5.html FEMA's Redesigned Website FEMA's public web site, www.fema.gov, is undergoing a complete redesign for 2006. The new site is designed to be more user-friendly and help people unfamiliar with FEMA to find information quickly and easily. The site is organized by audiences and topics with greater emphasis on content and less on FEMA's programmatic and organizational structure. The new site divides users into seven audience categories: Individuals, Emergency Personnel, Businesses and Professionals, Institutions, Government, News Media, and Kids. At the homepage, users will be asked to select the category with which they most identify. They will then be directed to the area of the sight that is tailored to the audience they have selected. FEMA's divisions, organizational structure, and programs, including the Mitigation Division. It is important to note that users of FEMA.gov will need to update their bookmarks once the new site goes live, because old bookmarks will no longer work. The exception is links to Adobe Acrobat (pdf) documents, which will remain the same. The web site redesign was mandated by the Office of Management and Budget, as part of an initiative to make all public Federal web sites more user-friendly. The redesigned web site will also be compliant with Homeland Security's style guidelines, to provide a more uniform look and feel across the Department. In addition to being tailored to specific audiences, information will be divided into five topic areas: Disaster Information, Preparedness, Disaster Aid, Recovery and Rebuilding, and About FEMA. All of the web site's content will be accessible to every audience, but the pathways to access the information may vary. The `About FEMA' section will house all of the information about Lower Cost Flood Insurance Available Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) provides low-cost protection to properties located in areas of low to moderate flood risk. These are shown as zones B, C, or X on a current Flood Insurance Rate Map. Most homes and apartments located in a low to moderate risk area are eligible for PRP rates, as long as the building doesn't have a history of flooding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has extended the preferred Risk Policy (PRP) to include, a non-residential PRP for commercial properties and contents. Since one in four flood insurance claims occur in low- to moderate - risk areas, the goal is to encourage property owners to financially protect themselves with this inexpensive policy. Many businesses located in a low to moderate risk area are eligible for PRP rates, as long as the building doesn't have a history of flooding. Eligible properties can include business structures, farm building, churches, and schools. The saving can be significant compared to standard rates. Important Facts You Should Know Floods are the most common and most costly natural disaster in the United States. Before most forms of Federal disaster assistance can be offered, the President must declare a major disaster. Flood insurance claims are paid whether or not a disaster has been Presidentially declared. The most common form of Federal disaster assistance is a loan, which must be paid back with interest. There are about 4.7 million flood insurance policies in force in more than 20,000 communities across the United States. Georgia has over 70,000 flood insurance policies in force in 447 communities wich include both cities and counties. Over the life of a 30-year mortgage, there is a 26-percent (or 1 in 4) chance that a building in a floodplain will experience a flood that will equal or exceed the 1 percent annual-chance flood (100-year flood). Since 1969, the NFIP has paid over $14 billion in flood insurance claims that have helped hundreds of thousands of families recover from flood disasters. Approximately 25% of all claims paid by the NFIP are for policies outside of the mapped floodplain. CAN YOUR COMMUNITY AFFORD NOT TO PARTICIPATE? For information about how your community can join the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) contact the Georgia Floodplain Management Office at (404) 656-6382. Georgia Floodplain Management Office 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Suite 440 Atlanta, Georgia 30334