Spring is a fitting time for property owners in our area to revisit their flood insurance policies. On April 1, FEMA will begin implementing a new flood risk rating system, known as Risk Rating 2.0.
FEMA’s early estimates project that National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders in Pennsylvania could see their premiums decrease by as much as 30%.
Risk Rating 2.0 will provide a more accurate reflection of an individual property’s flood risk by including considerations for:
• the property’s elevation
• location within the flood zone
• distance from a source of potential flooding
• the dynamics of the watershed drainage area
• flood history
• design and type of foundation
• cost of repair
• mitigation efforts
“On behalf of the communities that we represent, we applaud FEMA for launching Risk Rating 2.0 and for taking steps to strengthen the program’s ability to support flood survivors. Given our region’s flooding history, it’s a much-needed policy that is long overdue,” says Teri Provost, Director of SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency program.
SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/