Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers
The CASFM Floodplain Management Committee monitors and influences state and federal policy developments in floodplain management that impact Colorado communities. It also manages the ASFPM CFM®Program for CASFM.
FEMA has issued a new policy related to Guidance on the Best Available Information related to flood hazards. Here is a quick summary of what the guidance covers.
The Policy is for FEMA Headquarters, Regional program staff, and for the Field Staff at the Joint Field Office (JFO) interacting with states, tribal, and local officials, and other federal agencies and grantees following a Presidential declared disaster. This policy is also for states, tribal, and local officials following a Presidential declared disaster. The overall purpose of the Policy is to provide available and Advisory Flood Hazard Information for state, tribal, and local officials in order to mitigate future flood damages.
The policy will provide available and Advisory Flood Hazard Information for state, tribal, and local officials in order to mitigate future flood damages. FEMA will communicate to stakeholders the availability of flood hazard information that will be used to guide recovery in areas impacted by severe storms and flooding. In situations where the Effective or Preliminary FIS and FIRM may not be adequate for use in the recovery process, FEMA may develop Advisory Flood Hazard Information in coordination with states, tribes, local officials and other federal agencies.
Under the policy, immediately following a Presidential disaster declaration, the FEMA Region’s Mitigation Division (Risk Analysis Branch) should develop an Available Flood Hazard Information Table and Exhibit containing data that can be used both internally to make decisions and externally to communicate available flood hazard information to stakeholders. Once FEMA has identified available flood hazard information and evaluated the feasibility of accelerating to Preliminary FIRM phase or developing new data, the FEMA Region’s Mitigation Division (Risk Analysis Branch) should communicate to stakeholders the available sources of flood hazard information to guide recovery.
The FEMA Regional Office (Regional Administrator and/or Mitigation Division, Risk Analysis Branch) shall collaborate with the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) and Hazard Mitigation Branch Director (and other appropriate staff) at the Joint Field Office (JFO), the State Coordinating Officer (SCO), and tribal and/or local jurisdictions to determine the need for Advisory Flood Hazard Information to support recovery. When a decision has been made to move forward with developing Advisory Information, if the work will be funded by the Disaster Fund through the JFO, the FCO will make the final determination. If the work will be funded by the Region, the Regional Administrator will make the final determination.
The policy also explains the insurance implications of using available and Advisory Flood Hazard Information; how Increased Cost of Compliance coverage uses available and Advisory Flood Hazard information; how FEMA will use available and Advisory Flood Hazard Information when making mitigation and recovery decisions; and how such information will be used in the Unified Federal Review Process.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the basis for most state and local floodplain management programs. In recent years, several legislative acts have significantly reformed the NFIP, including Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform of 2012 and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. In addition to flood insurance reforms, the mapping program continues to evolve under the Risk MAP program.
Click Here to read CASFMs comments to the Technical Mapping Advisory Council
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