What is “CRS”?

The National Flood Insurance Program provides federally backed flood insurance that encourages communities to enact and enforce floodplain regulations. To be covered by a flood insurance policy, a property must be in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. The National Flood Insurance Program has been successful in requiring new buildings to be protected from damage by a 1% flood event. However, flood damage may still result from floods greater than a 1% flood event and from flooding in unmapped areas.

Under the Community Rating System (CRS), there are incentives for communities to do more than just regulate construction of new buildings to minimum national standards. Under the CRS program, flood insurance premiums are adjusted to reflect community activities that reduce flood damage to existing buildings, manage development in areas not mapped by the National Flood Insurance Program, protect new buildings beyond the minimum required protection level, to assist insurance, mortgage, and real estate agents obtain accurate flood data, and to assist citizens obtain flood insurance.

Benefits of “CRS”

The Community Rating System floodplain management activities are designed to provide enhanced public safety for citizens, a reduction in damage to property and public infrastructure, avoidance of economic disruption and losses, a reduction of human suffering, and protection of the environment.

A community can evaluate the effectiveness of its flood management program against a nationally recognized standard.

Technical assistance is available at no charge for designing and implementing some activities in the program.

A CRS community’s flood program benefits from having an added incentive to maintain its flood program over the years. Elimination of a flood-related activity or a weakening of the regulatory requirements for new development should be taken into account by the governing board since such actions could affect a community’s CRS status rating.

Implementing some CRS activities, such as floodplain management planning, can help a community qualify for certain federal assistance programs.

Richland County CRS Program

One of the goals of the county’s CRS program is to collaborate with other departments and agencies toward the implementation of new projects, to maintain and improve current projects, and to integrate new technology into the Floodplain Management Program thereby improving our current rating. Richland County currently qualifies for a 5% premium discount on all new flood insurance policies based on its current rating.

If you have any questions concerning the Richland County Community Rating System Program, please contact Quinton Epps CRS Coordinator at (803)576-2150 or e-mail eppsq@rcgov.us.