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Cancellation
The ending of the insurance coverage provided
by a policy before the expiration date.
CBRA - Coastal
Barrier Resources Act of 1982
For the purposes of the NFIP, the Coastal
Barrier Resources Act of 1982 designated certain portions of the Gulf and East
Coast as undeveloped coastal barriers. These areas are shown on appropriate flood
insurance map panels and have certain coverage restrictions.
CIF - Contracts In Force
All flood insurance policies active as of the date provided on the report. Same as PIF, except condominium policies are counted only once regardless of the number of member units.
Cistern
Covered
cisterns and the water in them are defined as an integral part of an insurable
building, meaning under the building or above ground and physically attached to
a side of the building with one of the walls of the building and cistern being
common to each other.
Claims Coordinating Office (CCO)
A
clearinghouse for the various insurers who are responding to a multi-peril catastrophe.
Through voluntary participation, all losses are reported to the Claims Coordinating
Office and are processed to locate address matches among the reported claims.
The interest of each carrier is protected as the Claims Coordinator maintains
sole control over the policy and loss information. If a match is found, special
care is taken to direct the assigned adjuster(s) to a mutually agreeable adjustment
or to have one adjuster surrender his/her loss with the assurance that every effort
will be made to replace it.
CLOMA
Conditional Letter of Map Amendment
CLOMR
Conditional Letter of Map Revision
Closed Basin Lake
A natural
lake from which water leaves primarily through evaporation and whose
surface area exceeds or has exceeded one square mile at any time in
the recorded past. NFIP-insured buildings that are subject to continuous
lake flooding from a closed basin lake are covered under the provisions
of Standard Flood Insurance Policy.
Coastal
Relating to the coastlines and bays of the tidal waters of the United States or the shorelines of the Great Lakes. Under the Community Rating System, there are four coastal areas eligible for creditable coastal activities: the coastlines and bays of the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes coasts. The term does not include riverine areas.
Coastal
Barrier
A naturally occurring island, sandbar, or other strip of land, including
coastal mainland, that protects the coast from severe wave wash.
Coastal Barrier Improvement Act of 1990 (CBIA)
Enacted on November 16,
1990, the Act greatly expanded the identified land in the Coastal Barrier Resources
System established pursuant to the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982.
Coastal
Barrier Resources System (CBRS)
A set of "undeveloped coastal barriers" and "otherwise protected areas" along the U.S. coast (including the Great Lakes) designated by Congress under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982 (CBRA). Most expenditure of federal funds are prohibited within the Coastal Barrier Resources System.
Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land masses caused primarily by waves on the two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Great Lakes, and major embayments to these bodies of water.
Coastal erosion-prone area
The coastal areas within which waves are anticipated to cause significant erosion and shoreline retreat within the next 60 years.
Coastal High-Hazard Areas
Special Flood
Hazard Areas along the coasts that have additional hazards due to wind and wave
action. These areas are identified on Flood Insurance Rate Maps as Zones V, V1-V30,
and VE.
Coastal High Hazard Flooding
A condition of flooding subject to high velocity waters, including, but not limited to, hurricane wave wash or tsunamis. Coastal high hazard flooding is mapped as a Zone V on a Flood Insurance Rate Map. Coastal flooding without the high velocity hazard is mapped as a Zone A.
COBRA
Coastal Barrier Resources Act. See CBRA
Coinsurance
A penalty imposed on the loss
payment unless the amount of insurance carried on the damaged building is at least
80 percent of its replacement cost or the maximum amount of insurance available
for that building under the NFIP, whichever is less. Coinsurance applies only
to building coverage under the Residential Condominium Building Association Policy.
Community
A political entity that has the authority
to adopt and enforce floodplain ordinances for the area under its jurisdiction.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
HUD’s Community Development activities include many different programs that provide assistance to a wide variety of grantees, including Disaster Recovery Assistance.
Community Number
A 6-digit
designation identifying each NFIP community. The first two numbers are
the state code. The next four are the FEMA-assigned community number.
An alphabetical suffix is added to a community number to identify revisions
in the Flood Insurance Rate Map for that community.
Community Rating System (CRS)
A
program developed by FEMA to provide incentives for those communities
in the Regular Program that have gone beyond the minimum floodplain
management requirements to develop extra measures to provide protection
from flooding.
Condominium
That
form of ownership of real property in which each unit owner has an undivided interest
in common elements.
Condominium Association
The
entity made up of the unit owners responsible for the maintenance and operation
of common elements owned in undivided shares by unit
owners, other real property in which the unit owners have
use rights where membership in the entity is a required condition of
unit ownership.
Countywide Map
A Flood Insurance
Rate Map that shows flooding information for the entire geographic area of a county,
including the incorporated communities within the county.
CRS
Community Rating System. See Community Rating System.
CRS Application
The publication that is generally used by a community to apply for its initial Community Rating System classification. This publication includes a description of the CRS activities, application procedures, and the documentation the community needs to provide with its application.
CRS Classification
A rating of a community's floodplain management program according to the CRS Schedule. A community that has not applied for Community Rating System classification is a Class 10 community.
CRS Commentary
The portion of the CRS Coordinator's Manual that explains the Community Rating System in more detail than the CRS Schedule. It includes instructions on how to apply for a CRS classification, along with references on and examples of the creditable activities.
CRS Coordinator
A local official designated by the Chief Executive Officer of the community to coordinate the community's Community Rating System application and verification.
CRS Coordinator's Manual
A publication for local officials that includes the Community Rating System CRS Schedule, CRS Commentary, and activity worksheets. It is available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or ISO.
CRS Schedule
The portion of the CRS Coordinator's Manual that describes the Community Rating System and how credit points are calculated to determine a community's CRS classification.
CWOP - Closed Without Payment
Claim status indicating that the insured was denied payment for their loss.
Cycle
A periodic review, scoring, and verification of a community's Community Rating System activities, normally done on a 3- or 5-year cycle.
C Zone
See Zone C.
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Date of Construction
The date that the building permit
was issued provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction,
or improvement was within 180 days of the permit date.
Declarations
Page
A computer-generated summary of information provided by the prospective
policyholder in the application for flood insurance. The Declarations Page also
describes the term of the policy and the limits of coverage and displays the premium
and the insurer's name. The Declarations Page is a part of the flood insurance
policy.
Deductible Buyback
The option whereby,
for an additional premium, policyholders who wish to reduce their deductibles
from the standard deductibles of $1000 per building loss and per contents loss
for Pre-FIRM risks may purchase separate $500 deductibles for building and contents
coverages.
Described Location
The location where
the insured building or personal property is found. The described location is
shown on the Declarations Page.
DFIRM
Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map
Diagram Number
Any
of the numbers used in the instructions to the FEMA Elevation Certificate to identify
the diagrams of the eight main types of buildings.
Direct
Physical Loss By or From Flood
Loss or damage to insured property, directly
caused by flood. There must be evidence of physical changes to the property.
DOL - Date of Loss
Date that the flood loss was sustained by the property.
Doublewide
Manufactured (Mobile) Home
A manufactured (mobile) home that, when assembled
as a nonmovable, permanent building, is at least 16 feet wide and has an area
within its perimeter walls of at least 600 square feet.
Dwelling
A
building designed for use as a residence for no more than four families or a single-family
unit in building under a condominium form of ownership.
D Zone
See Zone D.
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Elevated Building
A building
that has no basement and has its lowest elevated floor raised above
the ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings,
or columns. Solid foundation perimeter walls are not an acceptable means
of elevating buildings in V and VE zones.
Emergency Program
The initial
phase of a community's participation in the National Flood Insurance
Program. During this phase, only limited amounts of insurance are available
under the Act.
Enclosure
That portion of
an elevated building below the lowest elevated floor that is either
partially or fully shut-in by rigid walls.
Erosion
The collapse, undermining,
or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water.
Erosion is a covered peril if it is caused by waves or currents of water
exceeding their cyclical levels which result in flooding.
Expense Constant
A
flat fee formerly charged on each new and renewal policy, the Expense
Constant was eliminated effective May 1, 2003.
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Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)
The federal agency under which the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP) is administered. In March 2003, FEMA became part of the
newly created U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency.
See Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Financial Assistance/Subsidy Arrangement
The
arrangement between an insurance company and FEMA to initiate the company's
participation in the Write Your Own (WYO) Program. It establishes the
duties of the company and the government.
Finished (Habitable) Area
An
enclosed area having more than 20 linear feet of finished walls (paneling,
etc.) or used for any purpose other than solely for parking of vehicles,
building access, or storage.
FIRM - Flood Insurance Rate Map
See Flood Insurance Rate Map.
Flood
A general and temporary condition of partial or
complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area
or of two or more properties (at least one of which is the policyholder's
property) from:
-Overflow of inland or tidal waters; or
-Unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from
any source; or
-Mudflow;or
-Collapse or subsidence of land along the shore
of a lake or similar body of water as a result of erosion or undermining
caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical
levels that result in a flood as defined above.
Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM)
Official
map of a community issued by FEMA, where the boundaries of the flood,
mudflow, and related erosion areas having special hazards have been
designated.
Flood Insurance Claims Office (FICO)
An
NFIP claims processing office set up in a catastrophe area when a sufficient
number of flood claims result from a single event.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
Official
map of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard
areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
FMA grant funding is provided to assist states and communities in implementing measures to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes and other structures insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Floodplain
Any land area
susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source.
Floodplain Management
The
operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures
for reducing flood damage, including but not limited to, emergency preparedness
plans, flood control works, and floodplain management regulations.
Floodproofing
Any combination
of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to
structures, which reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to real estate
or improved real property, water and sanitation facilities, or structures
that are not elevated above the base flood elevation, with their contents. "Dry floodproofing" measures are designed to keep water from entering a building. "Wet floodproofing" measures minimize damage to a structure and its contents from water that is allowed into a building.
Flood Response Office (FRO)
The
FRO provides a local presence in the affected area and supports the
WYO companies, the NFIP Servicing Agent, and various federal, state,
and local officials in providing answers to claims coverage questions,
forms for claims handling, and survey and statistical input. One of
the key requirements of personnel at the FRO is to coordinate and conduct
reinspections of WYO and NFIP Direct losses. The FRO also tracks adjuster
performance and provides such information to interested WYO and NFIP
Direct companies.
FOIA
Freedom of Information Act
FPF - Federal Policy Fee
A flat charge that the policyholder must pay on each new or renewal policy to defray certain administrative expenses incurred in carrying out the NFIP.
FREE
The Flood Rating Engine Environment (FREE) is a web-based NextGen rating engine prototype. FREE allows a user to quote a flood insurance policy in seconds.
Freeboard
An additional
amount of height above the Base Flood Elevation used as a factor of
safety (e.g., 2 feet above the Base Flood) in determining the level
at which a structure's lowest floor must be elevated or floodproofed
to be in accordance with State or community floodplain management regulations.
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GIS
Geographic Information System.
GPS
Geographic Positioning System.
Grade
Elevation
The lowest or highest finished ground level that is immediately
adjacent to the walls of the building. Use natural (pre-construction) ground
level, if available, for Zone AO and Zone A (without BFE).
Grandfathering
An
exemption based on circumstances previously existing. Under the NFIP, buildings
located in Emergency Program communities and Pre-Flood Insurance Rate Map buildings
in the Regular Program are eligible for subsidized flood insurance rates. Post-Flood
Insurance Rate Map buildings in the Regular Program built in compliance with the
floodplain management regulations in effect at the start of construction will
continue to have favorable rate treatment even though higher base flood elevations
or more restrictive, greater risk zone designations result from Flood Insurance
Rate Map revisions.
Group Flood Insurance
Issued
by the NFIP Direct Program in response to a Presidential disaster declaration.
Disaster assistance applicants, in exchange for a modest premium, receive a minimum
amount of building and/or contents coverage for a 3-year policy period. An applicant
may cancel the group policy at any time and secure a regular Standard Flood Insurance
Policy through the NFIP.
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Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Emergency Assistance Act created the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in November 1988. The HMGP assists states and local communities in implementing long-term hazard mitigation measures following a major disaster declaration. The grant is a cost-share of 75-percent federal share and 25-percent state and/or local share.
High-Rise Building
High-rise condominium
buildings have five or more units and at least three floors excluding enclosure
even if it is the lowest floor for rating purposes. An enclosure below an elevated
building, even if it is the lowest floor for rating purposes, cannot be counted
as a floor to avoid classifying the building as low rise.
Historic
Building
Any building that is: Listed individually
in the National Register of Historic places (a listing maintained by the Department
of the Interior) or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior
as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register; or Certified
or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to
the historical significance of a registered historic district or a district preliminarily
determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district; or Individually
listed in a state inventory of historic places in states with preservation programs
that have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior; or Individually
listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation
programs that have been certified either by an approved state program as
determined by the Secretary of the Interior or directly by the Secretary
of the Interior in states without approved programs.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development responsibility is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination.
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ICC - Increased
Cost of Compliance
Coverage for expenses a property owner must incur, above
and beyond the cost to repair the physical damage the structure actually sustained
from a flooding event, to comply with mitigation requirements of State or local
floodplain management ordinances or laws. Acceptable mitigation measures are elevation,
floodproofing, relocation, demolition, or any combination thereof.
Improvements
Fixtures, alterations,
installations, or additions comprising a part of the insured building.
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LAE - Loss Adjustment Expenses
The costs associated with adjudicating NFIP claims.
LAG
Lowest Adjacent Grade. See Lowest Adjacent Grade
LODR - Letter of Determination Review
FEMA's ruling on the determination made by a lender or third party that a borrower's building is in a Special Flood Hazard Area(SFHA). A LODR deals only with the location of a building relative to the SFHA boundary shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map.
LOMA - Letter of Map Amendment
An amendment to the
currently effective FEMA map which establishes that a property is not located
in a Special Flood Hazard Area. A LOMA is issued only by FEMA.
LOMR - Letter
of Map Revision
An official amendment to the currently effective FEMA
map. It is issued by FEMA and changes flood zones, delineations, and elevations.
Loss
in Progress
A loss that is already in progress as of 12:01 a.m. on the first
day of the policy term; or, as to any increase in the limits of coverage which
is requested, a loss that is already in progress when the additional coverage
is requested.
Lowest Adjacent Grade
The lowest
point of the ground level next to the building.
Lowest Floor
The lowest
floor of the lowest enclosed area (including a basement). An unfinished
or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles,
building access, or storage in an area other than a basement area, is
not considered a building's lowest floor provided that such enclosure
is not built so as to render the structure in violation of requirements.
Lowest Floor
Elevation (LFE)
The measured distance of a building's lowest floor above
the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) or other datum specified on the FIRM
for that location.
Low-Rise Building
Low-rise condominium
buildings having fewer than five units regardless of the number of floors or five
or more units with fewer than three units including basement. All townhouses/rowhouses,
regardless of the number of floors or units, and all single-family detached condominium
buildings are classified as low rise. An enclosure below an elevated building,
even if it is the lowest floor for rating purposes, cannot be counted as a floor
to avoid classifying the building as a low rise.
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Mandatory Purchase
Under the provisions of the Flood
Disaster Protection Act of 1973, individuals, businesses, and others buying, building,
or improving property located in identified areas of special flood hazards within
participating communities are required to purchase flood insurance as a prerequisite
for receiving any type of direct or indirect federal financial assistance (e.g.,
any loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, subsidy, or disaster assistance)
when the building or personal property is the subject of or security for such
assistance.
Manufactured (Mobile) Home
A structure
built on a permanent chassis, transported to its site in one or more sections,
and affixed to a permanent foundation; or a travel trailer without wheels, built on a chassis and affixed to a permanent foundation, that is regulated under the community's floodplain management and building ordinances or laws. For exceptions, please consult NFIP Rules and Regulations.
Manufactured
(Mobile) Home Park or Subdivision, Existing
A manufactured (mobile)
home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing
the lots on which the manufactured (mobile) homes are to be affixed (including,
at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and
either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) is completed on or
before December 31, 1974, or before the effective date of the community's initial
FIRM, whichever is later.
Manufactured (Mobile) Home
Park or Subdivision, Expansion to Existing Site
The preparation of additional
sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which manufactured
(mobile) homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the
construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete
pads).
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Park or Subdivision,
New
A manufactured (mobile) home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured (mobile) homes
are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the
construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete
pads) is completed after December 31, 1974, or on or after the effective date
of the community's initial FIRM, whichever is later.
Map
Revision
A change in the FHBM or FIRM for a community which reflects revised
zone, base flood, or other information.
Mean Sea Level
See
National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD).
Modular Building
A
building that is usually transported to its site on a steel frame or special trailer
because it does not have a permanent chassis like a manufactured (mobile) home.
A modular building is classified and rated under one of the other building types.
MPPP - Mortgage
Portfolio Protection Program
A program designed to help lending institutions
to maintain compliance with the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended.
Policies written under the MPPP can be placed only through a WYO Company.
Mudflow
A
river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as
when earth is carried by a current of water. Other earth movements, such as landslide,
slope failure, or a saturated soil mass moving by liquidity down a slope, are
not mudflows.
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National Geodetic Vertical Datum
(NGVD)
National standard reference datum for elevations, formerly
referred to as Mean Sea Level (MSL) of 1929. NGVD is used as the reference
datum on most FIRMs.
Natural Grade
The grade
unaffected by construction techniques such as fill, landscaping, or
berming.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.
New Construction
Buildings
for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after
the effective date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever
is later, including any subsequent improvements.
NextGen Project
The NextGen Project is an Information Technology (IT) effort to modernize the government's NFIP systems and processes with current and industry-proven technologies.
NFIP - National Flood Insurance Program
The program of flood insurance coverage and floodplain
management administered under the Act and applicable Federal regulations
promulgated in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter
B.
NFIP Bureau and Statistical Agent
A
corporation, partnership, association, or any other organized entity
that contracts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be the
focal point of support operations for the NFIP.
NFIP Servicing Agent
A corporation,
partnership, association, or any other organized entity that contracts
with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on to service insurance
policies as direct business.
NFIP Special Direct Facility (SDF)
Formed
in 2000, a branch of the NFIP Servicing Agent to which WYO companies
transfer renewals for identified properties in the Repetitive Loss Target
Group so that mitigation assistance can be offered to the policyholders.
NFIRA
National Flood Insurance Reform Act
Non-Residential
Includes,
but is not limited to: small business concerns, churches, schools, farm
buildings (including grain bins and silos), poolhouses, clubhouses,
recreational buildings, mercantile structures, agricultural and industrial
structures, warehouses, hotels and motels with normal room rentals for
less than 6 months' duration, and nursing homes.
Nullification
The act of
declaring an insurance contract invalid from its inception so that,
from a legal standpoint, the insurance contract never existed.
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Other Residential
Hotels or motels where the normal
occupancy of a guest is 6 months or more; a tourist home or rooming house which
has more than four roomers. A residential building (excluding hotels and motels
with normal room rentals for less than 6 months' duration) containing more than
four dwelling units. Incidental occupancies such as office, professional private
school, or studio occupancy, are permitted if the total area of such incidental
occupancies are limited to less than 25-percent of the total floor area within
the building.
Out-As-Shown Determination
An alternative outcome of the FEMA letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) review process stating that a specific property is located outside the Special Flood Hazard Area as indicated on the Flood Hazard Boundary Map or the Flood Insurance Rate Map.
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Participating Community
A
community for which FEMA has authorized the sale of flood insurance
under the NFIP.
PIF - Policies In Force
All currently active flood insurance policies. Same as CIF, except individual condominium units within a building are counted independently.
Policy
A policy is defined by NFIP as "the entire written contract between the insured and the insurer. It includes: The printed policy form; The application and Declarations Page; Any endorsement(s) that may be issued; and Any renewal certificate indicating that coverage has been instituted for a new policy and new policy term."
Pollutants
Substances that
include, but are not limited to, any solid, liquid, gaseous, or thermal
irritant or contaminant, including smoke, vapor, soot, fumes, acids,
alkalis, chemicals, and waste. "Waste" includes, but is not
limited to, materials to be recycled, reconditioned, or reclaimed.
Ponding Hazard
A flood hazard
that occurs in flat areas when there are depressions in the ground that
collect "ponds" of water. The ponding hazard is represented
by the zone designation AH on the FIRM.
Post-FIRM Building
A building
for which construction or substantial improvement occurred after December
31, 1974, or on or after the effective date of an initial Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM), whichever is later.
Pre-FIRM Building
A
building for which construction or substantial improvement occurred
on or before December 31, 1974, or before the effective date of an initial
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
Prepaid Amount (Total)
The total amount
that must be submitted with an application or renewal in order to be
acceptable for coverage. It is determined by adding the Federal Policy
Fee to the Total Prepaid Premium.
Prepaid Premium (Total)
The
amount on the application (excluding the Preferred Risk Application)
that includes the Annual Subtotal, the ICC Premium, the CRS Premium
Discount (if applicable), the Probation Surcharge (if applicable), and
the Federal Policy Fee.
Presentment of Payment (Premium)
The
date of receipt of premium at the office of the NFIP or the date of
certified mail. In the case of transfer of title, the date of settlement
or closing, when the premium is paid at that time.
Principally Above Ground Building
A
building that has at least 51 percent of its actual cash value, including
machinery and equipment, above ground.
Principal Residence
A single-family
dwelling in which, at the time of loss, the named insured or the named
insured's spouse has lived for either 80 percent of the 365 days immediately
preceding the loss, or 80 percent of the period of ownership, if less
than 365 days.
Probation
A FEMA-imposed
change in a community's status resulting from violations and deficiencies
in the administration and enforcement of NFIP local floodplain management
regulations.
Probation Surcharge (Premium)
A
flat charge that the policyholder must pay on each new or renewal policy
issued covering property in a community that the NFIP has placed on
probation under the provisions of 44 CFR 59.24.
Proper Openings - Enclosures (Applicable
to Zones A, A1-A30, AE, AO, AH, AR, and AR Dual)
All enclosures
below the lowest elevated floor must be designed to automatically equalize
hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for the entry
and exit of floodwaters. A minimum of two openings, with positioning
on at least two walls, having a total net area of not less than 1 square
inch for every square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding must
be provided. The bottom of all openings must be no higher than 1 foot
above grade.
Property Acquisition Projects (Buyouts)
Property acquisition is one of many forms of hazard mitigation but it is the most permanent form. It removes people from harm's way forever. In a property acquisition project, the community buys private property, acquires title to it, and then clears it. By law, that property, which is now public property, must forever remain open space land. The community can use it to create public parks, wildlife refuges, etc. but it cannot sell it to private individuals nor develop it. Property acquisitions work the same way as any other real estate transaction. Property owners who want to sell their properties will be given fair prices for them.
Property Removed to Safety Expense
Up
to $1,000 of reasonable expenses incurred by the insured to temporarily
remove insured property from the described location because of flood
or the imminent danger of flood.
Provisional Rating
A method
for placing flood coverage prior to the receipt of a FEMA Elevation
Certificate.
PRP - Preferred Risk Policy
A
policy that offers fixed combinations of building/contents coverage
or contents-only coverage at modest, fixed premiums. The PRP is available
for property located in B,C, and X zones in Regular Program communities
that meet eligibility requirements based on the property's flood loss
history.
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RCBAP - Residential Condominium Building Association Policy.
See Residential Condominium Building Association Policy.
Regular Program
The final phase of a community's participation
in the National Flood Insurance Program. In this phase, a Flood Insurance Rate
Map is in effect and full limits of coverage are available under the Act.
Regular
Program Community
A community wherein a FIRM is in effect and full limits
of coverage are available under the Act.
Regulatory Floodplain
For purposes of the Community Rating System, the floodplain that is regulated by a community, including the Special Flood Hazard Area. It covers a larger area in communities that regulate development in flood problem areas outside the SFHA as mapped by the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration.
Repetitive Loss Community
For purposes of the Community Rating System, a community with one or more repetitive loss properties.
Repetitive Loss Property
For purposes of the Community Rating System, a property for which two or more National Flood Insurance Program losses of at least $1,000 each have been paid within any 10-year rolling period since 1978.
Repetitive Loss Structure
An
NFIP-insured structure that has had at least two paid flood losses of
more than $1,000 each in any 10-year period since 1978.
Repetitive
Loss Target Group
NFIP-insured properties that, on the basis of losses since
1978, meet one or more of the loss criteria. WYO companies
began transferring renewals for identified properties in this group to the NFIP
Special Direct Facility (SDF, a branch of the NFIP Servicing Agent) on August
1, 2000, so that mitigation assistance can be offered to the policyholders.
Replacement
Cost Value (RCV)
The cost to replace property with the same kind of
material and construction without deduction for depreciation.
Residential
Condominium Building
A building, owned and administered as a condominium,
containing one or more family units and in which at least 75 percent of the floor
area is residential.
Residential Condominium Building
Association Policy (RCBAP)
Policy issued to insure a residential condominium building and all units within the building, provided that the building is located in a Regular Program Community and at least 75 percent of the total floor area is residential.
RL - Repetitive Loss
A structure, covered by a contract of flood insurance issued under the
NFIP, that has suffered flood damage on two occasions during a 10-year
period that ends on the date of the second loss, in which the cost to
repair the flood damage, on average, equaled or exceeded 25% of the
market value of the structure at the time of each flood loss.
- S - [top]
Scheduled Building Policy
A policy that requires a
specific amount of insurance to be designated for each building and its contents.
SDF - NFIP Special Direct Facility
A newly formed branch of the NFIP Servicing Agent to which, on August 1, 2000, WYO companies began transferring renewals for identified properties in the Repetitive Loss Target Group so that mitigation assistance can be offered to the policyholders.
Section 1316
Section of
the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, which states that
no new flood insurance coverage shall be provided for any property that
FEMA finds has been declared by a duly constituted state or local zoning
authority or other authorized public body to be in violation of state
or local laws, regulations, or ordinances that are intended to discourage
or otherwise restrict land development or occupancy in flood-prone areas.
SFHA - Special
Flood Hazard Area
An area having special flood, mudflow, or flood-related
erosion hazards, and shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary Map or a Flood Insurance
Rate Map as Zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, AH, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A1-A30,
V1-V30, VE, or V. For the purpose of determining Community Rating System premium
discounts, all AR and A99 zones are treated as non-SFHAs.
SFIP - Standard Flood Insurance Policy
See Standard Flood Insurance Policy
SFR - Submit-for-Rate
An application for
flood insurance on a building for which no risk rate is published in
the Flood Insurance Manual. Insurance coverage
can be obtained only after the NFIP has approved the application and
has established the risk premium rate.
Shear
Walls
Walls used for structural support but not structurally joined or enclosed
at the ends (except by breakaway walls). Shear walls are parallel, or nearly parallel,
to the flow of the water and can be used in any flood zone.
Sheet Flow Hazard
A type of flood hazard with flooding depths of 1 to 3 feet that
occurs in areas of sloping land. The sheet flow hazard is represented by the zone
designation AO on the FIRM.
Single Adjuster Program
A
procedure implemented among the NFIP, various wind pools, and WYO Companies to
allow one adjuster to represent both carriers in adjusting a combined wind-water
loss where the NFIP has the flood coverage and another carrier has the wind coverage.
Single
Building
A building that is separated from other buildings by intervening
clear space or solid, vertical, load-bearing division walls.
Single-Family
Residence
A residential single family dwelling. Incidental office, professional,
private school, or studio occupancies, including a small service operation, are
permitted if such incidental occupancies are limited to less than 50 percent of
the building's total floor area.
Solid Foundation Perimeter
Walls
Walls that are used as a means of elevating a building in A Zones and
that must contain sufficient openings to allow for the unimpeded flow of floodwaters
more than 1-foot deep.
Standard
Flood Insurance Policy - Dwelling Form
Policy issued to insure a building
and/or residential contents on a single-family or a 2-4 family dwelling.
Standard
Flood Insurance Policy - General Property Form
Policy issued to insure a building
and/or contents on other residential or non-residential buildings.
Standard
Flood Insurance Policy - Residential Condominium Building Association Policy (RCBAP)
Policy
issued to insure a residential condominium building and all units within the building,
provided that the building is located in a Regular Program Community and at least
75 percent of the total floor area is residential.
Start
of Construction
For other than new construction or substantial improvements,
under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, this is the date the building permit
was issued, provided that the actual start of construction, repair, rehabilitation,
addition, placement, or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date.
The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of
a building on site, such as the pouring of a slab or footing, the installation
of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation;
or the placement of a manufactured (mobile) home on a foundation. For a substantial
improvement, actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall,
ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether or not that alteration
affects the external dimensions of the building.
Stock
Merchandise
held in storage or for sale, raw materials, and in-process or finished goods,
including supplies used in their packing or shipping. "Stock" does not
include any property not covered under "Section IV. Property not Covered"
of the General Property Form, except the following: Parts
and equipment for self-propelled vehicles; Furnishings
and equipment for watercraft; Spas and hot-tubs, including
their equipment; and Swimming pool equipment.
Substantial
Damage
Damage of any origin sustained by a building whereby the cost of restoring
the building to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent
of the market value of the building before the damage occurred.
Substantial
Improvement
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a building, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value
of the building before the "start of construction" of the improvement.
Substantial improvement includes buildings that have incurred "substantial
damage," regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however, include either any project for improvement of a building to correct existing
state or local code violations or any alteration to a "historic building,"
provided that the alteration will not preclude the building's continued designation
as a "historic building."
Suspension
FEMA's removal
of an NFIP participating community from the program because the community
has not enacted and/or enforced the proper floodplain management regulations
required for participation.
SQANet Dashboard
Simple and Quick Access Dashboard is a simple web-portal concept, where NFIP stakeholders can logon securely to get up-to-the-minute data and reports from the NextGen environment, Bureau and NFIP TRRP mainframe database on a single webpage. This dashboard is personalized based on each individual's rights. A user can only see their data. The SQANet dashboard is the first prototype and pilot program for NextGen project.
- T - [top]
Tentative Rates
Unpublished NFIP rates used to issue
policies for applications that fail to provide the NFIP with valid actuarial rating
information.
Travel Trailer
Under the NFIP, a travel
trailer can be considered a building only if it is without wheels, built on a
chassis and affixed to a permanent foundation, and regulated under the community's
floodplain management and building ordinances or laws.
- U - [top]
Underground Building
A building for which 50 percent
or more of the actual cash value, including machinery and equipment that are part
of the building, is below ground.
Unfinished Area
An
enclosed area that is used only for the parking of vehicles, building access,
or storage purposes and that does not meet the definition of a finished (habitable)
area. Dry wall used for fire protection is permitted in unfinished
areas.
Unit
A single-family unit owned by the
policyholder in a condominium building.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is made up of approximately 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. USACE military and civilian engineers, scientists and other specialists work hand in hand as leaders in engineering and environmental matters.
- V - [top]
Valued Policy
A policy in which the insured and the
insurer agree on the value of the property insured, that value being payable in
the event of a total loss. The Standard Flood Insurance Policy is not a valued
policy.
Variance
A grant of relief by a participating
community from the terms of its floodplain management regulations.
V Zone
See Zone V
- W - [top]
Waiting Period
The time between the date of application
and the policy effective date.
Walled and Roofed
A
building that has two or more exterior rigid walls and a fully secured roof and
that is affixed to a permanent site.
Wave Height Adjustment
A
measurement that is added to the base flood elevation for V Zones shown on the
Flood Insurance Rate Map published prior to 1981. For coastal communities, the
base flood elevation shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps published prior to 1981
are still-water elevations, which include only the effects of tide and storm surge,
and not the height of wind-generated waves.
WRT PRM - Written Premium
The premium paid for policies in force.
WYO - Write Your Own Program
A
cooperative undertaking of the insurance industry and FEMA begun in
October 1983. The WYO Program operates within the context of the NFIP
and involves private insurance carriers who issue and service NFIP policies.
- X - [top]
X Zone
See Zone X.
- Z - [top]
Zone
A geographical area shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary
Map or a Flood Insurance Rate Map that reflects the severity or type of flooding
in the area.
Zone A
The Special Flood Hazard Area (except coastal V Zones) shown on a community’s Flood Insurance Rate Map. There are seven types of A Zones:
- A: SFHA where no base flood elevation is provided.
- A#: Numbered A Zones (e.g., A7 or A14), SFHA where the FIRM shows a base flood elevation in relation to NGVD.
- AE: SFHA where base flood elevations are provided. AE Zone delineations are now used on new FIRMs instead of A# Zones.
- AO: SFHA with sheet flow, ponding, or shallow flooding. Base flood depths (feet above grade) are provided.
- AH: Shallow flooding SFHA. Base flood elevations in relation to NGVD are provided.
- AR: A temporary designation for an area where a flood control system that no longer provides protection from the base flood is expected to be improved so it will provide protection to the base flood again in the future. This zone is not considered a Special Flood Hazard Area or “regulatory floodplain” for Community Rating System purposes.
- A99: A mapped floodplain that will be protected by a federal flood protection system where construction has reached specified statutory milestones. This zone is not considered a Special Flood Hazard Area or “regulatory floodplain” for Community Rating System purposes.
Zone B
Area of moderate flood hazard, usually depicted on Flood Insurance Rate Maps as between the limits of the base and 500-year floods of the primary source of flooding. B Zones may have local, shallow flooding problems. B Zones are also used to designate areas protected by levees and base floodplains of little hazard, such as those with average depths of less than 1 foot.
Zone C
Area of minimal flood hazard, usually depicted on Flood Insurance Rate Maps as above the 500-year flood level of the primary source of flooding. C Zones may have local, shallow flooding problems. B and C Zones may have flooding that does not meet the criteria to be mapped as a Special Flood Hazard Area, especially ponding and local drainage problems.
Zone D
Area of undetermined but possible flood hazard.
Zone V
The Special Flood Hazard Area subject to coastal high hazard flooding. There are three types of V Zones: V, V#, and VE, and they correspond to the A Zone designations.
Zone X
Newer Flood Insurance Rate Maps show Zones B and C (see above) as Zone X. The shaded Zone X corresponds to a Zone B and the unshaded Zone X corresponds to a Zone C.
