To earn CRS credit, your community can do things like:
- Preserve open space in the floodplain;
- Enforce higher standards for safer new development;
- Maintain drainage systems; and
- Inform people about flood hazards, flood insurance, and how to reduce flood damage.
Your community is probably already doing many of these things. To get credit, you simply prepare an application showing what's being done. Once the information is verified, FEMA provides the flood insurance premium discounts. The amount of your discount depends on what your community does.
Once it has submitted its CRS Application, a community must continue to implement its credited activities to keep its classification. Specifically, a community is responsible for:
- Designating someone who is familiar with the agencies that implement CRS activities as the community's CRS Coordinator.
- Cooperating with the ISO/CRS Specialist and the verification procedures.
- Recertifying each year that it is continuing to implement its activities.
- Submitting the appropriate documents with its recertification.
- Advising FEMA and its ISO/CRS Specialist of modifications in its activities.
- Maintaining elevation certificates, other permit records, and old Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) forever.
- Maintaining other records of its activities for 5 years, or until the next verification visit, whichever comes sooner.
- Participating in the cycle verification process.
Communities will receive periodic updates to the CRS Coordinator's Manual and other CRS materials. They are encouraged to order the background publications, attend CRS workshops, and ask their ISO/CRS Specialists for help understanding the CRS credit criteria for their current and planned activities.
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