3.2 TMPT.KMENTA TTON OF THR NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE 

 PROGRAM AND OTHER HAZARD MITIGATION INITATIVES 



Introduction 



The National Rood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides basic flood hazard data, and a 

 flood hazard management framework for all flood-prone communities in the United States. 

 The original conception of the NFIP was that flood insurance coverage and other benefits 

 would be provided in a two-staged program to local communities conditioned on the 

 progress communities made in undertaking certain flood hazard management steps, and 

 subsequendy implementing flood hazard management programs. In theory, the floodplain 

 management program an be used as a valuable land-use management tool by local 

 communities. In addition, many of the flood hazard management practices anticipated are 

 directiy related to non-point source control — particularly to management of stormwater and 

 control of erosion and sedimentation. The following paragraphs outline the program basis 

 of the NFIP, as its policies were originally conceived. 



In communities participating in the NFIP, federally regulated lending institutions must 

 require that purchasers of property in designated flood-prone areas purchase the appropriate 

 flood insurance policy as a condition of obtaining a mortgage loan. Flood insurance 

 policies are made available at federally subsidized rates, rate levels being dependent on the 

 status of a particular community in the NFIP. 



In the Emergency Program, mitigation measures required of communities relate to the 

 issuance of building permits and certain development activities. Until detailed flood hazard 

 maps are available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 

 communities are required to develop a process for case-by-case consideration of 

 developments in known floodprone areas. Communities are encouraged to use historical 

 evidence in assembling the best available data on flood boundaries and elevations. 



When a community moves to participation in the Regular Program, more stringent 

 floodplain management measures are required, which are tied to the amount of information 

 provided by FEMA. These include land use requirements in areas of high hazard. In such 

 areas, new development should be restricted and existing development, when damaged, 

 should be flood-proofed and up-graded to applicable buUding code specifications, or 

 removed. 



Responsibility for implementation of the NFIP rests primarily with local communities. 

 The local government's role is to adopt and implement the variety of zoning and building 

 requirements which establish the condition of participation in the NFIP. (Management 

 requirements are established for zones defined according to degree of flood hazard.) In that 

 regard, zoning and planning boards and municipal building departments have continuing 

 enforcement responsibilities. The chief executive officer of the municipality is FEMA's 

 principal contact in its monitoring of a community's implementation of the NFIP. FEMA 

 has encouraged communities to develop community standards more restrictive than those of 

 the NFIP. 



On the state level, where state properties and buildings are concerned, agencies must 

 either comply with the floodplain management requirement of the relevant local community 

 or develop their own requirements consistent with the floodplain management objectives of 



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