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04/09/2019 12:00 AMThere are many perks to living in a coastal town, but most residents will likely tell you that paying for flood insurance is not one of them. However, the Town of Guilford is taking steps to help lower flood insurance rates for residents and promote a resilient town in the face of rising waters.
In 2018, the town was accepted into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). The system rewards town that voluntarily take actions above and beyond the actions required under the rating system. Those actions are rewarded with a discount in the premium flood insurance costs under NFIP, according to Town Engineer Janice Plaziak.
“We are at a class nine rating,” she said. “I think this is one of the lowest classes, but it is a start for us...It provides a five percent discount on the premium cost of flood insurance for rate payers in town.”
The five percent discount applies to NFIP policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas on or after May 1, 2018. Preferred Risk Policies in Zone B, C, and X do not qualify for the discount.
“We just got notified that we are recertified as a CRS community,” she said. “[The five percent discount] should be automatically applied to the bills, but people should look at their statements to make sure they are getting it.”
The CRS program is a point system. There are various categories that list different actions that, if adopted by the town, translate to points. The number of points a town has then determines the level of discount applied to flood insurance rates.
Plaziak said the town received points for its elevations certificates, outreach project, floodplain management planning, and many other items.
“It’s a lot of work and a lot of the work is already being done, but the challenge is documenting,” she said. “One of the things I found I needed to do with the recertification is keep track of whenever I help people, so for example I have to report how many people I have talked to about the flood plain. So it is a lot of documentation.”
Plaziak said the town also received credit for its higher regulatory standards. One item is the substantial improvement regulation, which deals with how much homeowners are allowed to improve their homes before they would have to bring the home into FEMA compliance. The regulation threshold was recently changed to say that an improvement that increases the home’s market value by 50 percent or more will be considered over a five-year period, not a one-year period, closing a loophole that would have allowed a homeowner in the floodplain to approve their home by 49.9 percent one year and 49.9 percent the next and not have to bring the home into FEMA compliance.
The second item is a recent change in the building code regarding base flood elevation. For example, when the FEMA regulation requires a homeowner to build at least 13 feet above sea level, the town regulation now requires an additional foot of freeboard so that the structure is built at 14 feet above sea level.
The town received a total of 968 credit points, giving the town a class nine rating. If the town achieves 1,000 points, it jumps to a higher class and brings the discount to residents up to 10 percent. The rating system goes as high as a total 45 percent discount to residents.
“If we could achieve 10 percent, that would be a nice goal,” she said. “…Especially because the insurance rates are just going up every year for flood insurance, so we want to do anything we can to help with that and it helps encourage a more resilient community.”
First Selectman Matt Hoey thanked all who were involved in achieving this certification.
“I think it’s a reflection of the attention to detail in our Engineering Department for the benefit of the community and protection of property,” he said. “The Hazard Mitigation Committee should also be thanked for all of the work they have done.”