Cities take on efforts to reduce flood insurance rates [Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, Ill.]

Nov. 18—Davenport residents already see a 15% discount on flood insurance because of an improved rating from a FEMA program that credits community efforts to go beyond minimum flood management standards. Unincorporated Rock Island County and Moline residents, too, receive discounts.

Now, Bettendorf is trying to get on board.

River Action, an environmental nonprofit that works on all things river, earned a grant last year to contribute toward employing an intern to help the City of Bettendorf apply for a Community Rating System, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's program that offers discounts on flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

That was a key topic of Thursday's River Action meeting.

The system's program offers discounts on flood insurance premiums ranging from 5% up to 45% based on credits earned by completing flood protection activities. There are 19 activities, among them maintaining FEMA elevation certificates for new buildings, providing flood maps, posting flood-protection information online, zoning for floodplains, acquiring or relocating flood-prone buildings out of the flood plain, among others.

FEMA raised Davenport's rating in 2020 from 8 to 7, with the lower number being the better score on a 10-point scale. Having a rating at all unlocks FEMA grants and a better rating provides residents with a steeper discount on their flood insurance. Residents in a community with an 8 rating receive a 10% discount on NFIP insurance and a 7 rating earns a 15% discount.

"All the boats go up when the tide goes up," River Action Executive Director Kathy Wine said.

A FEMA visit is expected in January to evaluate Bettendorf's programs.

In one area of flood plain management, Bettendorf has focused on buying and razing homes in a flood-prone area to become green space.

In the last 10 years, Bettendorf has bought and razed more than 20 homes in the 100-year floodplain to become green space with the help of federal grants. Last year, the city applied for funds to make offers on 17 more homes.

Representatives from Scott County and LeClaire at River Action's meeting in Riverdale on Thursday said their governmental entities were interested in applying for FEMA's community ratings.

Anthony Heddlesten, the mayor of Riverdale and a chief engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District, cautioned that size mattered. He said in Riverdale, only a handful of properties were insured by the National Flood Insurance Program, so it wasn't worth the investment. He said the rule of thumb is 50 properties or more to see a return.

River Action staff also outlined a new grant that has become available from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund conservation projects across the country. Called the American the Beautiful Challenge, it started this year, with the first round of grants due earlier this summer. Staff said they hope to put together an application for wetland conservation in Rock Island and near Crow Creek in Bettendorf.

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