In this article from the Sacramento Business Journal June 2nd, Roseville is the first community in the country to give property owners a major discount on flood insurance; really a great effort by the community and something others should try.
Here is an excerpt.
Roseville sets national flood-safety mark
FEMA gives residents 45% premium discount
Sacramento Business Journal - June 2, 2006
by Celia Lamb Staff Writer
Roseville has become the first community in the nation to receive a Federal Emergency Management Agency rating that will give property owners a 45 percent discount on their flood insurance premiums.
FEMA's voluntary community rating system, started in 1992, awards points for measures such as flood-proofing or elevating buildings, preserving open space, exceeding minimum mapping standards and enforcing stormwater management regulations. More points means a greater flood insurance discount, ranging from 5 percent for "Class 9" to 45 percent for "Class 1."
The program covers 1,028 communities -- with about 67 percent of the federal flood insurance policies in the country. Roseville has moved from a Class 5 rating, which entitled property owners to discounts of up to 25 percent, to Class 1.
"This looks like it will be the first Class 1 (rating) in the nation since the inception of the program," said FEMA spokesman James Schebl. The agency expects to make a formal announcement of Roseville's accomplishment later this year. A FEMA official, who asked not to be identified, said Roseville has already qualified, so the announcement will be a formality.
Roseville has 126 homes and 12 businesses in FEMA's 100-year flood area, meaning they have a 1 percent chance of flooding each year. Mortgage companies require property owners to obtain flood insurance in order to borrow money on those properties.
