High ground, Vol. 4, no. 1 (Winter 1999)

G-f\ NJ.oo, 5
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A Publication of the Georgia Floodplain Management Office Department of Natural Resources

New Look for the Community Rating System (CRS) in 1999

The Community Rating System (CRS), known for numerous revisions in its early years, has gone unchanged since 1996. That is about to change. A new and improved model will be released in January of 1999. The upcoming changes focus on point allocation. With a few exceptions, the content of the 18 activities credited under the CRS will remain the same. Under prior CRS schedules, the maximum possible credit was 7874 points.
Under the 1999 schedule, the maximum possible credit will be 12.849 points. These changes were based on

the results of a 3-year evaluation of the CRS performed by FEMA. The general conclusions of this evaluation presented to the CRS Task Force were:
I. Certain elements deserve credit based on a review of their effectiveness in reducing flood losses.
2. Communities should be encouraged to design their own programs.
3. The scoring procedures on documentation requirements should be simplfied.
The proposed point changes are illustrated in the following table:

1999 Credit Point Change

1996 Schedule

Activity 310: Elevation Certificates Activity 320: Map Information Activity 330: Outreach Projects Activity 340: Hazard Disclosure Activity 350: Flood Protection Library Activity 360: Flood Protection Assistance Activity 4 10: Additional Flood Data Activity 420: Open Space Activity 430: Higher Regulatory Standards Activity 440: Flood Data Maintenance Activity 450: Stormwater Management Activity 510: Floodplain Management Planning Activity 520:Acquisition and Relocation Activity 530: Retrofitting Activity 540: Drainage System Maintenance Activity 61 0: Flood Warning Program Activity 620: Levee Safety Activity 630 Dam Safety

142 points 140 points 250 points 81 points 30 points 71 Points 360 points 550 points 905 points 150 points 405 points 210 points 1600 points 1400 points 360 points 200 points 900 points 120 points

Totals

7874 points

1999 Schedule
142 points 140 points 260 points 81 points 30 points 71 points 1250 points 900 points 1405 points 210 points 580 points 230 points 3200 points 2800 points 330 points 200 points 900 points 120 points
12849 points

Georgia Floodplain Management Office

HG Volume 4. Number I Winter 1999

rMFk(J+~
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Inside This Issue
2 New Look for the Community Rating System (CRS) in 1999
3 Chatham; Bryan, Liberty Counties and the City of Savannah Join Project Impact
"For Your Information" Flood Insurance in (jeorgia

Planning Begins For <99 Governor's Severe Weather Conference

~)....
l.

Publications

6 Interesting Internet Sites
Communities Entering the National Flood Insurance Program in 1998

7 National Floodproofing Conference
Watershed Assistance Grants
8 Upcoming Training Courses

Continued ~om page I
The new 1999 CRS Coordinator's manual will have a new element for activity 330, Outreach Projects, and a new pre-requisite for CRS communities with a CRSclass 70r better. The new element for activity 330 is called, outreach projects pursuant to a strategy (OPS). To receive credit for this element, a community must prepare a public information strategy and implement a public information program pursuant to that strategy. This new element can be directly attributed to one of the conclusions of FEMA's CRS evaluation, encouraging communities to design their own programs.
The new pre-requisite requires a CRS class 7, 6 or 5 community to have a classification of6 or better under the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS). In order to attain a CRS class 4 or better a community must have a classification of 5 or better under the BCEGS. The Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) measures a community's building code adoption and enforcement as they relate to natural hazards mitigation. All communities in the state of Georgia have been graded by ISO using the BCEGS schedule.

The following is a list of CRS communities in the state of Georgia:

Community Name Albany Brunswick Chatham County Cobb County College Park Columbia County Columbus Covington Decatur DeKalb County Dougherty County Douglas County Duluth Fulton County Glynn County Gwinnett County Jekyll Island Peachtree City Pooler Roswell Savannah Tybee Island

CRS Class
9 9 9 8
8 9 eff. 4/1/99 8 9 9
8
9
9 9 Appl. Sub.
8
9
8
8
8 7 8
9

Should you have any questions about the Community Rating System, contact David Van Troost, ISO/CRS Specialist, at (770) 536-3039.

The CRS rewards communities with floodplain management programs that exceed minimum NFIP standards. Citizens within CRS communities receive discounts on their flood insurance premiums. These discounts are based on the number of points accumulated by communities through the activities listed above. Thanks to David Van Troost for contributing this article.

Georgia Floodplain Management Office

HG Volume 4. Number I Winter 1999

Chatham, Bryan, Liberty Counties and the City of Savannah Join Project Impact

Atlanta, December 10, 1998 The city of Savannah, as well as Chatham County
and neighboring Bryan and Liberty Counties, have combined to join a unique new effort of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create more disaster resistant communities.
The area selected for FEMA's Project Impact initiative is the second coastal Georgia region to become part of the program. The first, selected by FEMA last year, was South Georgia's Brunswick! Glynn County and adjacent Camden and Mcintosh Counties.
Project Impact, launched by FEMAlast year, works with state and local governments to build communities that are more likely to withstand the ravages of natural disasters. The unique North Coastal Georgia partnership will join FEMA, the Georgia Emergency ManagementAgency, the local governments involved, citizens, and local businesses in a combined effort to implement disaster resistant measures.
The Savannah area's low elevation makes it vulnerable to hurricanes and tidal flooding. There are

also stormwater drainage problems, particularly in Savannah, and coastal erosion is a major issue on Tybee Island, a developed coastal barrier. The region is also at risk for tornadoes.
Mindful of their vulnerability, all three counties have developed emergency preparedness plans and active local emergency planning committees and a major preparedness and risk assessment study is underway for all of Georgia's coastal counties.
Local officials are in Washington to discuss plans for Project Impact with FEMA representatives.
"We are delighted to be part of a program that will build on our existing efforts to lessen future devastation and the terrible human costs associated with disasters," said Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director Gary W. McConnell. Since 1988, FEMA has spent $20 billion to help repair and rebuild disaster-stricken communities. Project Impact's goal is to erase the ceaseless damage-repair-damage cycle by implementing preventive measures before disaster hits.
Reprinted from www.fema.gov

o

For Your Information
Flood Insurance in Georgia

There are twenty-six insurance companies in Georgia that have been approved by FEMA to sell federal flood insurance. These companies are:
Allstate Insurance Company American Bankers Insurance .Company of
Florida American Modern Home Insurance Company American National Property and Casualty American Reliable Insurance Company Auto-Owners Insurance Company Bankers Insurance Company Fidelity and Deposit Companies First Community Insurance Company Great Pacific Insurance Company Hartford Fire Insurance Company IGF Insurance Company Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company

Omaha Property and Casualty Insurance Company
Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance Company
Selective Insurance Company of America South Carolina Insurance Company Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance
Company State Capital Insurance Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company The Hartford The Philadelphia ContributiOnship The Seibels Bruce Group, Inc. Travelers Insurance Unisun Insurance Company Vesta Insurance Corporation

Georgia Floodplain Management Office

H G Volume 4, Number I Winter 1999

o

Planning Begins For '99 Governor's Severe Weather Conference

Planning is now underway for this year's edi-

More than 50 exhibitors and vendors are

tion of a major annual conference which brings

expected to participate. In addition, GEMA will

together officials of the public, private, and volun-

display a new mobile communications vehicle/

teer sectors to hear from the experts and exam-

command post and.a mobile Animal Disaster

ine ways to better prepare for and respond to the Operations Clinic (ADOC), which are expected

severe weather that Georgians have come to

to be in service by early 1999.

expect and dread.

Participants in the conference are expected to

While the 1999 conference will continue the

include: emergency managers, law enforcement

theme developed in 1998, "Together Georgia

officers, fire service and EMS personnel and other

Prepares:' its scope will be drastically expanded

health care practitioners, 91 I administrators, state

with a new name. Previously called the Governor's agency personnel, public works officials, educators,

Hurricane Conference, the program will be re-

meteorologists, representatives of the private and

christened the Governor's Severe Weather

volunteer sectors, and local elected officials.

Conference. The three-day pro-

Planning of the conference

gram, to be held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center, is slated for May 10-12, beginning

"As we have seen in recent years, Georgia is

involves the efforts and input of a broad cross-section of agencies and organizations in addi-

at I:00 p.m., Monday and ending at vulnerable to a wide

tion to GEMA. The current

nooh Wednesday. "As we have seen in recent
years, Georgia is vulnerable to a wide range of severe weather;'

range of severe weather," said GEMA Director
Gary W. McConnelL

planning team is composed of representatives of state government agencies, including: the Georgia State Patrol; the

said Georgia Emergency

Departments of Human Res-

Management Agency (GEMA) Director Gary W.

ources, Natural Resources,Agriculture, Industry,

McConnell. "And we think it is appropriate to

Trade and Tourism, Corrections,Transportation, and

reflect that fact in renaming this conference."

Education; the Georgia Forestry Commission; the

Historically, the conference focused on the

Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Governor's

threat of hurricanes, menacing Georgia from both

Offices of Consumer Affairs and Planning and

the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. While

Budget; and the Georgia. National Guard.

hurricaHes can impact the entire state with dam-

Other organizations include: the Georgia

aging inland winds, violenttornadoes and thunder- Municipal Association; the Association County

storms, and widespread flooding, conference plan- Commissioners of Georgia; the National Weather

ners felt that the name and focus may have been

Service; the Weather Channel; the Georgia Sheriffs

too parochial, failing to draw broader participation.

Association; the American Red Cross; the Salvation

"The revamped conference will allow us to

Army; Georgia Power; and the Emergency

better address the entire spectrum of severe

Management Association of Georgia (EMAG).

weather, from hurricanes to floods to winter

Through expansion of the conference planning

storms, and will hopefully attract participants from team and the conference direction, community

all 159 counties," said McConnell.

and state participation is expected to be greater

Although details of programs, workshops, and

than ever. Conference room rates are available at

speakers have yet to be finalized, preliminary dis-

the Jekyll Island Inn, Comfort Inn, and the Clarion

cussion has begun to focus on several tracks.

Buccaneer.

They include planning and preparedness, commu-

Additional information on the conference

nication and warning, community initiatives on

can be obtained by calling Buzz Weiss or Ken

awareness and education, and mitigation.

Davis at (404) 635-7000 or 1-800-TRY-GEMA.

Conference planners are also hoping the 1999

eventwill be more visual and interactive than in

Article by Buzz Weiss, Public Information Coordinator, GEMA

previous years.

Georgia Floodplain Management Office

H G Volume 4, Number I Winter 1999

PUBLICATIONS

"Federal Programs Offering NonStructural Flood Recovery and Floodplain Management Alternatives. In response to the apparently increasing national flood problem, the federal government has been working to improve its approach to floodplain management - both to reduce the loss of life and property caused by floods and to restore the natural resources and functions of floodplains. These changes have involved, in part, a shift in focus from structural controls of the natural environment (dams, levees, altered channels, etc.) toward nonstructural alternatives that modify susceptibility to flooding (restricted use of floodplains, for example). To support this effort, the Executive Office of the President has issued a federal interagency docment, "Federal Programs Offering Non~Structural Flood Recovery and Floodplain Management Alternatives." The booklet lists programs in three categories: I) acquisition, relocation, elevation, and f1oodproofing; 2) rural land easements and acquisition; and 3) restoration of wetlands. It discusses these three strategies and then provides comprehensive summaries of the relevant programs along with useful indices. The publication is available from both the White House and FEMA at the web sites below. 1998. Free. Copies are available from: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/f1ood. pdf; andhttp://www.fema.gov/library/ombflood.pdf.
"Floods: Causes, Effects and Risk Assessment:' Partner Re, a specialized catastrophe reinsurer, created this document to encourage the insurance industry to tackle the problem of flooding, asserting that the vast majority of insurance c1ients--homeowners and businesses--expect and deserve solutions, especially as they become more aware of the true exposure and the enormous risk river floods in particular pose to their livelihoods. This document provides a guide for assessing flood risks, particularly those associated with rivers. It notes that today, scientific knowledge in meteorology and hydrology can be used by insurers for fair ratings and risk mitigation. Further, it notes that government regulation of construction and land use, as well as protection and precaution by the individual, must complement insurance in providing protection.The

report also describes recent significant floods, types of hazards, types of vulnerability, flood protection, insurance and reinsurance aspects, and other causes of flooding. Appendices provide rainfall data for selected places, a checklist of risk factors, a list of major historical floods, and a directory of flood-related Web sites. 1997. 102 pp. Free. Copies can be requested from Celia Luthi Powell, Corporate Relations, Partner Re, P.O. Box HM KX, Bermuda; (441) 292-0098; fax: (441) 2925588; e-mail: celia_luth@partnerre.com.

"Guidance on Estimating Substantial

Damage Using the NFIP Residential

Substantial Damage Estimator"- FEMA 31 I.

Communities that participate in the National

Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) often have diffi-

culty determining whether structures meet the

NFIP definition of being "substantially damaged"

This is particularly true after a major flood or

other disaster in which large numbers of buildings

have suffered damage and there is a pressing need

to provide damage determinations so that recon-

struction can begin. Structures in Special Flood

Hazard Areas that are substantially damaged must

be brought into compliance with the minimum

requirements of that community's laws or ordi-

nances and the NFIP.To assist communities in

making such determinations, FEMA developed the

Residential Substantial Damage Estimator soft-

ware, which provides guidance in estimating build-

ing value and damage costs for both single family

and manufactured homes. Based on the regulatory

requirements of the NFIp, it is intended to be

used in conjunction with industry-accepted resi-

dential cost estimating guides. The guidance docu-

ment provides information on how to use the

software as well as how to collect data and con-

duct field inspections. 1997. 104 pp. Free. This doc-

ument

includes

three

31 /

2"

diskettes containing the

Residential Substantial Damage Estimator soft~

ware. Copies are available from the FEMA

Publications Distribution Facility,8231 Stayton

Drive, Jessup, MD 20794; (800) 480-2520 or (202)

646-3484; fax: (30 I) 497-6378.

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Georgia Floodplain Management Office

HG Volume 4, Number I Winter 1999

INTERESTING INTERNET SITES

www.dnr.state.ga.us/dnr/environ/ The web site of the Georgia Department of
Natural Resourcesl Environmental Protection Division utilizes a menu format allowing the online user access to information by topic. Using the left-hand menu, click on:
About EPDto access information about the Environmental Protection Division's branch programs. The Georgia Floodplain Management Office is located under Water Resources Branch, and then Water Resources Management Program.
Technical Guidanceto access a hotlink to the Georgia GIS Clearinghouse and downloadableFEMA Q3 Flood Data (digital maps).
to access an online version of HIGH GROUND.
Hearing/Meetingto look for information on upcoming Floodplain Management workshops and events.
www.fema.gov/ The Federal Emergency Management Agency's
web site has many online technical and informational documents including the Community Status Book which is updated daily.
www.state.ga.us/GEMAI The Georgia Emergency Management Agency's
web site contains updates for Emergency Managers, training schedules, and news releases. Many hotlinks to other Emergency Management web sites are also included.

www.Colorado.EDUlhazards/ The Natural Hazards Research and
Applications Information Center in Boulder, Colorado is an excellent site for the latest information on natural hazards research. In addition, the Center's newsletter The Natural Hazards Observer can be downloaded from this web site.
www.f1oods.org/ The Association of State Floodplain Managers
(ASFPM) is now online! The web site includes organizational and upcoming conference information, as well as hotlinks to other sites of interest to floodplain managers.
www.storm98.com/ Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse has
put together this web site to provide current information on hurricanes and other tropical storms, as well as information on mitigation measures to avert possible damages from these storms.
www.whitehouse.govIWH/New/html/flood.pdf This site directly downloads a 93-page docu-
ment entitled "Federal Programs Offering Nonstructural Flood Recovery and Floodplain Management Alternatives" in Adobe Acrobat format.Thisdocument contains a comprehensive list of federal programs, plus their descriptions, that offer funds for non-structural flood mitigation projects such as f1oodproofing, elevation, acquisition, wetlands restoration, etc.

Communities Entering the National Flood Insurance Program in 1998

Screven County Atkinson County Banks County Morgan County Wilcox County Hancock County City of Abbeville McDuffie County City of Metter Oglethorpe County City of Ocilla

January 6 January 13 March 4 March 4 April 16 April 17 May 26 May 26 June 5 June 10 June 17

Towns County Town of Buckhead Dodge County City of Zebulon Town of Homeland Tattnall County City of Sugar Hill Turner County Town of Roopville Appling County

July 6 July 9 July 9 August 5 August 13 August 13 September 30 October 13 October 16 December 3

Georgia Floodplain Management Office

HG Volume 4, Number I Winter 1999

Watershed Assistance
Grants Now Available
from River Network
Early in 1999, River Network will distribute grants ranging from $2,000 to $30,000 to support diverse partnerships working to protect and restore watersheds.
Through its new Watershed Assistance Grants (WAG) program, River Network will make grants to projects demonstrating nationatly important lessons about watershed group formation, structure, process and action to protect and restore watersheds. Applicants should plan to involve the diverse population within the target watershed, identify and propose a practical method for addressing one or more important watershed problems or issues, and describe how their watershed partnerships will ultimately make a measurable difference environmentally.
River Network, a national organization based in Portland, Oregon, supports river and watershed advocates at the local, state, and regional levels by helping them build effective partnerships and organizations.
Proposals are due by January 29, 1999. Applications and grant criteria are available on River Network's website at: www.rivernetwork.org; bye-mail at: info@rivernetwork.org; or by phone at: (503) 241-3506.

National F1oodproofing
Conference
February t5, t999,
Baton Rouge, LA
This conference will focus on f1oodproofing methods, materials, issues, programs and techniques. Contractors, builders, engineers, architects, planners, building officials, floodplain managers, mitigation officers, f1oodproofing product/services suppliers, and representatives of the real estate, housing and insurance industries will gather to share and learn about the state-of-the~artin f1oodproofing.
Conference sponsors include Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers. For more information, contact the Association of State Floodplain Managers at (608) 274-0123; e-mail: asfpm@f1oods org.

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Georgia Floodplain Management Office

H G Volume 4, Number I Winter 1999

UPCO~IING TRAINING COURSES

Emergency Management Institute (EM I):
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland, will be sponsoring the following resident courses. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) serves as the national focal point for the development and delivery of emergency management training to enhance the capabilities of Federal, State, and Local government officials, volunteer organizations, and the private sector to minimize the impact of disasters on the American public.
There are no tuition fees for EMI on-campus courses. All instruction, books, and housing are provided at no cost, and FEMA reimburses air fare. Participants are responsible for the cost of the meals provided and for personal incidental expenses. All persbns attending EMI courses are required to purchase a campus meal ticket for the period of their course.
For additional information on the following courses, or to obtain an application, please contact Georgia's Floodplain Management Office at (404) 656-6382. You may also contact EMI at 1-800-238-3358. It is suggested that applications for courses be submitted at least two months prior to the date of the course.

E234 Digital Hazard Data Course (formerly Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map) - February 1-5, 1999; April 19-23, I999; August 23-27,1999

E273

Managing Floodplain Development Through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) _
January 25-29,1999; March 29-April 2, 1999;June 14-18, 1999; August 23-27, 1999

E278 National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP)/ Community Rating System (CRS) - April 19-23, I999;August 2-6, 1999

E279 Retrofitting Existing FloodproneResidential Buildings - January25-29, 1999; May 3-7, 1999 (**see note)

**Prerequisite - Participants must successfully complete the independent study course IS-279 before applying for E279. There is no charge for enrollment. Individuals should submit an application form (FEMA Form L173) to:
FEMA Independent Study Program Emergency Management Institute
16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, MD 21727

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Environmental Protection Division Floodplain Management Office 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Suite 440 Atlanta, Georgia 30334

A Publication of the Georgia Floodplain Management Office
7 Martin Luther King,jr. Dr. Suite 440
Atlanta, Georgia 30334 404.656.6382
404.656.6383 fax
Personnel: Collis O. Brown, State Coordinator e-mail: Collis_Brown@mail.dnr.state.ga.us
judy Brock, Environmental Specialist e-mail: judy_Brock@mail.dnr.state.ga.us
This newsletter was supported by funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the Community Assistance Program - State Support Services Element of the National Flood Insurance Program. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.