County saves on flood insurance

Nassau County's flood insurance premium saw a significant reduction this year thanks to county staffs' efforts with FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program.

As part of the national insurance program, there is a Community Rating System (CRS) that offers reductions for counties that go above and beyond with floodplain management practices. Rankings range from 1 to 10, with the former being the best possible classification. Nassau County achieved a CRS Class 8 ranking when it first joined this voluntary incentive program in May 2017, which provided a 10% premium insurance reduction for residents living in a Special Flood Hazard Area.

This October, Nassau County announced that it ascended to a CRS Class 7 ranking, bumping that reduction up to 15 percent. With this increase, the county secured $232, 000 in overall cost savings for residents.

"If you pay for FEMA insurance, it is a separate policy than your homeowner's insurance," Katie Peay, senior stormwater engineer, explained. Peay worked closely with Floodplain Administrator Keith Ellis and the county's local CRS Coordinator Naomi Braff to score an improved ranking five years after the first assessment. This collaborative effort sought to meet the three main goals of the CRS: · Reduce flood damage to insurable property; · Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP; · Encourage a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.

For roughly one year, Braff handled while Peay did legwork on getting local codes changed to reflect the extra effort Nassau County is putting in with floodplain management. "The (Board of County Commissioners) actually directed us to look at drainage beyond just the subdivision as a whole," Peay said. "We got a full committee together and did some upgrades with that, including flood protection, which helped with our CRS rating."

Nassau County earned more credits toward its CRS classifi- cation this year by keeping the public informed, maintaining updated flood maps, improving flood regulations and ensuring flood preparedness.

"With the threat of increase to property insurance premiums throughout the country, the board is happy to do what it can to provide relief to property owners within Nassau County," County Manager Taco Pope said via press release. "Special acknowledgment is given to our floodplain experts in the county's building and planning departments, who work year-round to provide flood information to the public through community outreach events and to conduct other initiatives to increase its credits."

Peay provided further insight into the county's efforts to reduce flood damage.

"We looked at sea level rising to make sure our code matched the science that's out there. We looked at the special flood hazard zone that's not currently regulated by FEMA," Peay said. "Basically, it's a section that's no longer regulated by FEMA, but we went ahead and implemented it with some things on the island." She continued, "We just gave a little bit more flood protection. Most engineers do that anyway, so we really just codified it, which helped us get that CRS credit." mmahoney@fbnewsleader.com