Baltimore, Md., Issues Public Comment on FEMA Notice

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has issued a public comment on the Federal Emergency Management Agency notice entitled "Request for Information: National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System". The comment was posted on Sept. 14, 2021:

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1. Additional clarity around the annual review process is needed. As it stands now, cities only get 6 weeks advance notice of the required submittals, and could maintain better CRS programs if we know what needs to be submitted sooner. We suggest providing submittal checklists for each of the nine (9) CRS Class Ratings in the CRS Coordinator's Manual.

2. Additional guidance and support for the development of a Program for Public Information (PPI) is also needed. This is an important part of a CRS program, but it can be difficult to meet all of the requirement. We suggest revising the document's framework to make it a more useful and practical tool for jurisdictions.

3. Suggest that FEMA could bring back a jurisdiction's ability to request a courtesy review of Elevation Certificates prior to official submission.

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The notice can be viewed at: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FEMA-2021-0021-0001

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