FEMA recognizes Pleasantville for flood-insurance initiatives FEMA recognizes Pleasantville, OEM coordinator for flood-insurance initiatives

PLEASANTVILLE - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded the city a certificate recognizing its participation in the Community Rating System of the National Flood Insurance Program.

The certificate is given to municipalities that take additional efforts to study its flood risk, promote flood-insurance enrollment and raise awareness of the damage flooding can cause.

The city honored Emergency Management Coordinator Deirdra Alexander-Simms, who also serves as the Community Ratings System coordinator, at a City Council meeting Feb. 22.

Alexander-Simms spoke about the importance of the CRS program as well as flood insurance generally, with city officials echoing the praise from FEMA.

"The community has undertaken a series of meaningful activities to protect its citizens from losses caused by flooding and have significantly exceeded the requirement," said a FEMA letter of recognition Mayor Judy Ward read aloud at the meeting.

City Administrator Linda Peyton spoke about the CRS program, noting the financial and safety benefits it could bring residents. She extolled the work of Alexander-Simms, crediting her with leading the city's participation in the program.

"To have this rating ... is significant in this community," Peyton said. "It's you that has been doing all of this work and has afforded this community the opportunity to have a discount on its insurance, and she continues to make sure we are improved each and every year."

Alexander-Simms, who is also the health and wellness coordinator and the administrative assistant to the police chief, said she was committed to pursuing the CRS' goals. She said she is seeking to increase the number of insured property owners in the city, encourage flood-loss prevention strategies and reduce costs for policyholders.

During her tenure as coordinator, Alexander-Simms has focused on spreading awareness in the community. She and her team have sent letters to homeowners, banks and mortgage holders, and insurance agencies to teach people about the kinds of flood insurance available and the benefits of flood insurance.

Due to the pervasive threat flooding poses to people throughout the city and the possibility of intense rainfall overwhelming drainage systems, Alexander-Simms said she makes sure the letters have a wide reach.

"People say, 'I'm not in that zone, so I really don't need the insurance,' but we never know," Alexander-Simms said. "Everybody's prone to damage, so that's why it's important to have insurance."

Alexander-Simms said she and her team have also held online seminars to teach residents about flood insurance.

She has also secured grant money to fund the creation of an online database prospective homeowners, businesses and developers can use to learn about the elevation of a property.

"It would take time for us to look up that information," Peyton said, "Now you can do this right from your phone, right from your home."

The CRS asks participating municipalities to complete 19 activities for which they receive a certain number of credits, according to a manual on the FEMA website. The activities broadly involve creating new assessments and flood mappings; renovating old properties, managing new development and stewarding the surrounding environment to reduce flood vulnerabilities; strengthening emergency-response plans; and launching public-awareness campaigns.

Municipalities that obtain a certain number of credits advance to a higher CRS class, which in turn discounts their homeowners' flood-insurance premiums. Alexander-Simms said Pleasantville is at a CRS Class 6, which gives its homeowners a discount of 20%. Peyton said when Alexander-Simms took charge of the program, Pleasantville was at CRS class 10, which gives it no discount.

The recognition for the city comes about 11 months after the new FEMA pricing formula for the National Flood Insurance Program, which providers federally backed policies to property owners across the country, took effect. Officials from FEMA said the new method would have a more sound basis in science, while making insurance rates more equitable. It was forecasted that most New Jersey residents would see their annual premiums increase by as much as $120 in 2023, while about a fifth of policyholders in the state would see their premiums decrease.

Five percent of policyholders were expected to see their annual premiums increase by over $240 in 2023, particularly in flood-prone areas of the Jersey Shore. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said just before the program was unveiled in 2021 that he was concerned the higher premiums would drive property owners away from flood insurance.

Alexander-Simms reiterated after the meeting that residents should be cognizant about the risk posed by flooding. She said considering an insurance policy was particularly important for today's homeowners at the shore, given the vulnerability of coastal communities and heightened flood risks caused by global warming.

"The ultimate goal is to save lives and property," Alexander-Simms said.

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