Understanding the Community Rating System (CRS): How FloodMapp Helps Communities Earn Points

What is the Community Rating System (CRS)?

Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, and for communities enrolled in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), there’s an opportunity to reduce the financial burden on residents through proactive flood mitigation efforts.

CRS is a voluntary program under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that recognizes and incentivizes communities who reduce their flood risk through proactive measures like improved floodplain management, early warning systems, and public awareness initiatives.

Communities that meet CRS criteria can improve their CRS Class Rating and subsequently reduce NFIP flood insurance premiums for residents in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SHFA). The better the rating (on a scale from Class 10 to Class 1), the larger the discount— up to 45% off NFIP flood insurance policies for communities achieving the highest CRS classifications.

How Do Communities Earn CRS Points?

Communities earn points to improve CRS Class Rating by implementing flood risk reduction activities in categories such as:

But earning and maintaining CRS points can be a complex and resource-intensive process, requiring communities to continuously assess, report, and implement new strategies for flood risk reduction.

How FloodMapp Helps Communities Improve CRS Ratings

FloodMapp supports CRS credit-earning activities by providing communities with highly accurate, real-time flood data before, during, and after flood events. By integrating FloodMapp’s ForeCast, NowCast, and PostCast solutions, communities can enhance public safety, flood response, and long-term resilience planning while earning CRS points in key activities, including:

FloodMapp’s real-time flood intelligence directly aligns with several CRS activities, with Activity 610: Flood Warning and Response being the strongest connection. This activity focuses on the principle that ample warning, combined with a flood response plan, can reduce loss of life and property damage, ultimately helping communities lower the CRS rating and save residents money on flood insurance premiums.

Communities can earn CRS credits in this category with the support of FloodMapp through:

Aligning CRS Goals with Emergency Management & Public Works Budgets

One of the biggest challenges for communities aiming to improve their CRS rating is securing funding for new flood resilience initiatives. Physical flood mitigation projects such as levees involve major infrastructure spend and construction timeframes. Similarly, property acquisition and relocation can be expensive and involve lengthy planning cycles.

In contrast, flood intelligence software solutions like FloodMapp are cost effective and can be deployed rapidly. They can also benefit multiple departments, making them easier to justify within existing city and county budgets or through grant funding opportunities.

In this way, an investment into flood intelligence software may outperform in terms of return on investment for hazard mitigation and damage reduction as well as CRS rating improvements, and NFIP insurance reduction.

Many communities successfully secure funding for flood intelligence solutions by aligning their flood mitigation goals with broader city-wide resilience strategies, working across departments to build effective business cases, leverage shared budgets and maximize available funding.

Grant Program Eligible Applicants ##### How FloodMapp Supports Funding Goals
Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant State, territorial, local, and tribal governments with NFIP-insured properties Supports flood hazard mitigation planning by providing real-time and historical flood data for risk reduction. Helps identify high-risk areas and support acquisition/relocation projects.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) State, local, and tribal governments with a major disaster declaration in the past seven years Supports hazard mitigation planning by providing real-time and historical flood data for risk assessments. Helps communities scope and prioritize mitigation projects using predictive flood modeling. Enhances planning-related activities by improving flood risk communication and preparedness strategies.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) State, local, tribal, and territorial governments after a declared disaster Helps communities assess flood risk and implement long-term mitigation strategies. Provides data for repetitive loss area analyses to understand the most vulnerable areas and compare Hazard mitigation projects to get the best return on investment (i.e. floodplain buyouts and relocations, elevated homes, levees etc.)
Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT Grant) State and local governments, federally recognized tribes, planning organizations, U.S. territories Uses real-time flood data for transportation resilience and traffic safety improvements. FloodMapp’s operational intelligence on impacted roads assists in flood-aware road planning and emergency rerouting during high-water events.

Norfolk, VA: A CRS Success Story

The City of Norfolk, VA, has taken proactive steps toward improving its CRS Class Rating by integrating real-time flood intelligence into its Program for Public Information. By leveraging FloodMapp’s NowCast technology and integrating flood data with Waze, Norfolk has enhanced public communication, redirected drivers from flooded roads, and strengthened its flood warning and response efforts.

As a result, Norfolk has improved its CRS Class Rating, providing significant flood insurance savings for residents while continuing to build a more resilient community.