Upcoming Education Opportunities
Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance Program (L0273)
When: July 15 to 18, 2024
Where: King County Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Operations Center, 3511 NE Second St., Renton, Washington
How to attend: Register online.
Navigating Your First CRS Verification Cycle Visit
When: July 11, 2024
Where: Virtual Zoom Training
How to attend: Register online.
Oregon Floodplain Managers Group
When: July 15, 2024, at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting
How to attend: No cost. Contact Leni Crow, Assistant Planner for City of Cottage Grove, for a meeting invitation at assistantplanner@cottagegrove.org
Introduction to the Community Rating System Program (First offering)
When: August 20 to 21, 2024, at 6:00 a.m.
Where: Virtual Zoom Training
How to attend: Register online.
The Seminar Group – Oregon Floodplain Management
When: September 11, 2024
Where: Royal Sonesta Portland Downtown, Portland Oregon, or Virtual live webcast
How to attend: Register online at Floodplain Management (theseminargroup.net)
Introduction to the Community Rating System Program (Second offering)
When: September 11 to 12, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.
Where: Virtual Zoom Training
How to attend: Register online.
2024 Annual NORFMA Conference
When: September 17 to 20, 2024
Where: Red Lion Hotel Pasco Airport & Conference Center, Pasco, Washington
How to attend: Register at the NORFMA conference web page.
City of Salem Upgraded in the Community Rating System
Victory goes to the City of Salem, Oregon for achieving Class 3 in the Community Rating System (CRS)! Salem has participated in CRS since 2008 and was upgraded from Class 4 to 3 recently. Homeowners will now receive a 35% discount on insurance premiums in the National Flood Insurance Program. Salem has the best CRS rating in Oregon, and shares this Class 3 designation with only 11 other communities nationwide.
If your community is interested in CRS, see Community Rating System: A Local Official’s Guide to Saving Lives, Preventing Property Damage, and Reducing the Cost of Flood Insurance.
Federal Flood Risk Management Standard
The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) is a federal policy to improve the resilience of communities and federal projects against the impacts of flooding nationwide. It requires federal agencies to construct federally funded buildings and projects to a higher flood protection standard. Essentially, FFRMS policy increases the required elevation to two or three feet above base flood elevation for new construction, substantially improved structures, and substantially damaged structures (for federal projects/structures).
 Each federal agency will create their own compliance plan for FFRMS. For example, Housing & Urban Development (HUD) requires new HUD financed homes and projects to be elevated two feet above base flood elevation (BFE). HUD has created a FAQ.
What does this mean for local floodplain managers? First, if your community is applying for a federal grant for a project in the special flood hazard area (SFHA), be sure to ask the granting agency about their FFRMS compliance plan. Second, if you are reviewing a floodplain development permit for a federally funded project, be sure to research the funding agency FFRMS compliance plan for additional requirements that apply. It could be helpful to update your local operating procedures to include these steps. As always, you can bring your questions to floodplain staff at the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development or at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 10.
Learn the basics of FFRMS and higher regulations for federally funded projects in the FFRMS floodplain.
The Federal Flood Standard Support Tool (Beta) assists in identifying if a federally funded project will be located within a FFRMS floodplain.
Watercourse Alterations
The NFIP requires, in 44 CFR § 60.3(b)(6), communities to notify adjacent communities, and the State Coordinator, prior to any alteration or relocation of a watercourse, and submit copies of such notification to the FEMA Regional Office. This includes any project that would relocate or change the stream channel, add significant fill, or excavate portions of the channel or bank in a way that would alter the flow of the watercourse.
To determine whether a project would meet the definition of altering a watercourse, see the DLCD Habitat Restoration, In-Stream Development, and Watercourse Alteration/Relocation Project Guidance Document.
If a proposed project would alter a watercourse, then it must be designed so that the flood carrying capacity of the altered portion has the same or greater capacity as the original watercourse to avoid increasing the flood risk to the community and adjacent communities. If the proposed project is in the mapped floodway, then it must also be designed to meet no rise requirements.
Always check your floodplain code for local regulations that apply.
FEMA Quarterly Update on the Oregon Bi-Op
FEMA's June 2024 Update on the NFIP-ESA Integration in Oregon is now available.
Additional Resources
|
