Reducing Flood Risk: It's Up To You
Release Date: October 8, 2003
Release Number: 1490-38
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Isabel
Raleigh, NC -- Federal, state and local governments do all they can to reduce flood hazards that can cost lives as well as billions of dollars in damages and losses to residential and business property.
They build levees, dams, dikes, floodwalls and berms, dredge channels, clear waterways, remove debris and provide incentives to elevate, relocate or even acquire and demolish structures that suffer recurring damage.
And yet, every year, Americans sustain more than $1 billion in flood-related damages. Of all natural disasters that have occurred in the last five years, floods caused 61 percent of all property damage.
In North Carolina the frequency of flooding makes flood-hazard risks and costs crystal-clear. Over the last eight years the state has received thirteen federal disaster declarations.
"Floods destroy homes and devastate families and communities," said Gracia Szczech, the official in charge of the federal response for Hurricane Isabel. "The best way to deal with this vulnerability is from the ground up, one house, one neighborhood, one community at a time."
She said that the first step in lowering the flood risk to your home and family is to talk to your local building code enforcement officer.
"One-to-one," Szczech said, "these local officials can show you the latest flood maps, they can explain the 'why-and-how' of floodplain ordinances and they can offer practical advice on reducing future damages." Examples include elevating circuit boxes and household appliances such as washers, dryers, hot-water heaters and air-conditioning units.
Local officials will have copies of the Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Map published for all communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Local officials can also pinpoint whether a structure is in a regulated floodplain and, if so, the base flood elevation (BFE) standard that must be met. The BFE is the difference between the lowest floor elevation (including basement) of a structure and the one-percent-annual chance ("100-year") flood elevation. They also can provide information on federal, state and local programs that provide financial assistance for homeowner retrofitting projects to reduce flood risk.
Responsibility for floodplain management may vary in different counties. However, officials such as a city clerk, mayor or county administrator can put interested applicants in touch with the responsible office.
Dr. Kenneth Taylor, the officer in charge of the state disaster response, said that state and local governments were fully behind the effort to rebuild and repair with prevention in mind.
"Mother Nature is telling us something and we have to listen," Taylor said. "It doesn't make good sense to rebuild without first making sure the structure will be more disaster-resistant than it was before the flood."
Taylor said that buildings constructed in compliance with NFIP standards suffer 77 percent less flood damage than those built prior to local enforcement of these standards.
The officials also urge those who don't already have a flood insurance policy to buy flood insurance coverage regardless of whether it is required or not. Floods are far-reaching and can happen in areas where the coverage isn't required by law.
NFIP coverage provides reimbursement to repair the physical damage from flooding, and, in addition to this protection, many flood policies bought or renewed since June, 2000 offer extra Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage. This added coverage provides $30,000 toward the cost to bring a flood-damaged structure into compliance with current state or local floodplain management ordinances that will eliminate or reduce future flood damage. The four compliance options ICC will pay for are: relocation, elevation, floodproofing (for non-residential structures) and demolition.
The NFIP is a self-supporting program. All claims and operating expenses are paid from policyholder premiums, not tax dollars. Furthermore, it is estimated that NFIP building standards prevent $1 billion in flood losses annually and reduce the burden of disaster relief costs on all taxpayers.
You can buy NFIP flood insurance through most major private insurance companies and licensed property insurance agents who sell homeowners' or property insurance or call the NFIP's toll-free information line at 800-427-4661.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Oct-2003 09:30:37