T h e  T o r r e n t
A newsletter of the Connecticut Department of  
Energy & Environmental Protection 
exploring floodplain management issues  
 
Volume 25, No. 1                                                                                                 Autumn 2018
The Emerging Private Flood Insurance MarketPrivateFlood

Beginning October 1, 2018, property owners can cancel a policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and substitute it with a comparable private flood insurance policy if acceptable to their mortgage lender.  The following two studies analyze the emerging private flood insurance market in the United States. 

 

The Emerging Private Residential Flood Insurance Market in the United States, Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, July 2018.

 

 

What could private flood insurance look like in New Jersey and New York?, Milliman, July 2018. 
2018 CoreLogic Storm Surge ReportCoreLogic

On May 30, 2018, CoreLogic published its 2018 Storm Surge Report, an annual evaluation of the number and associated reconstruction cost value of single-family residential homes in the U.S. that are vulnerable to storm surge in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic basins.  This year's report shows that more than 6.9 million homes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are at potential risk of damage from hurricane storm surge inundation with a total reconstruction cost value of more than $1.6 trillion.  Individual state data is also provided.  CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabling services provider based in Irvine, CA.
Rising Seas and Flooding Impacts on Coastal Real EstateCoastalRealEstate

 

The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a new report entitled  Underwater:  Rising Seas, Chronic Floods, and the Implications of U.S. Coastal Real Estate. The report analyzes the risk to coastal real estate in the United States from sea level rise and nuisance flooding.

 
Flood iQ, a non-profit organization focused on empowering homeowners to protect their property from flooding, has created a database to assess risk and the potential loss in home value from tidal or hurricane flooding at particular addresses.  Data for Connecticut addresses is available.  Data was collected from such sources as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), United State Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

October 1, 2018 State Building Code UpdateFloodInsurance
On October 1, 2018, the Connecticut State Building Code was amended to adopt the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC).  The adoption of the 2015 IRC has made significant changes to the elevation requirements for new construction and substantially improved structures in the mapped 100-year floodplain, especially in coastal floodplains where Coastal AE zones are now recognized.  The updated building code requirements may be different than the standards currently contained in municipal floodplain zoning regulations or ordinances.  In an effort to aid communities with these changes, the CTDEEP has prepared a guidance document and model floodplain regulations.  The model regulations incorporate the most significant language changes made in the updated state building code.        

Updated FEMA Publication:  Answers to Questions About Substantially Improved/Substantially Damaged BuildingsSISD
In August 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released an update to publication FEMA 213, Answers to Questions About Substantially Improved/Substantially Damaged Buildings.  This update was a joint effort by the FEMA Building Science Branch and the Floodplain Management Division.  The updated publication significantly expands the number of questions answered from the previous version.  The enforcement of these NFIP requirements can be a major concern for local officials, especially following a disaster.  The questions and answers in the revised publication are intended to guide floodplain administrators, building officials and inspectors, zoning officers and local planning boards who have a role in enforcing floodplain management and building codes.  It is also helpful for architects, engineers, contractors, and property owners.  This publication provides short answers  to many questions and concerns, while encouraging local officials and others to refer to the more complete guidance in FEMA P-758, Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference. 
CAFM 5th Annual Conference PresentationsWNPR 

Did you miss the 5th Annual Connecticut Association of Flood Managers (CAFM) Conference held on October 24, 2018 in Bridgeport? 

 

The presentations from the conference have been posted on the CAFM website.  Some topics include:  State Blue Plan, update to the State Building Code, CIRCA grant programs, small business resiliency, coastal roads and sea level rise, Long Wharf resiliency plan and living shoreline, and Public Act 18-82 requirements for state projects in the floodplain.  

  
NRDC:  How the States Stack up on Flood DisclosureNRDC
The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has undertake a study that rates the flood hazard disclosure laws in each state.  The study shows that nearly half of the states have no disclosure rules the seller must meet.  And many states with disclosure laws are loaded with loopholes that greatly reduce the effectiveness of the disclosure requirements.  The study includes a map which you can click on any state to get a rating of their disclosure laws and regulations.
Training OpportunitiesTrainings
WEBINARS

NFIP-related training webinars are available through STARR, a FEMA contractor.  Below is a list of upcoming webinars.  To register, go to the NFIP training website  and  click "Training Center" on the top bar, and then on the "Upcoming" tab.  When asked during registration what FEMA Region you are in, please reply "1".
  • December   6, 2018, 1:00pm - NFIP Basics
  • December 18, 2018, 1:00pm - CRS:  Preparing an Annual Recertification
  • December 19, 2018, 1:00pm - CRS:  Flood Insurance Promotion (Activity 370)
 

V IDEOS

H2O Partners offers short training videos on the following topics:
  • Demonstrating the Elevation Certificate
  • How the NFIP Works for the Floodplain Professional
  • Effects of Flood Map Changes
  • Role of the Elevation Certificate in Floodplain Management
   
 
CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS
   
December 4-6, 2018:  ResCon International, The Global Resilience Summit, New Orleans, LA, https://resconnola.com.

May 19-24, 2019:  Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH, www.floods.org.
 
 
FEMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is located at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  EMI serves as the national center for emergency management training of federal, state and local government officials.  Tuition, housing, and all books and materials are provided at no cost.  Participants are responsible for the cost of a meal pass (approximately $100/week).  Below is a select list of floodplain management classes offered into September 2019.  The classes in 2018 are shown in parentheses and italics. A full list of training classes can be found at the EMI website.    

E170  HAZUS-MH for Hurricane - March 25-28, 2019
E172  HAZUS-MH for Flood - June 17-20, July 8-11, 2019
 E174  HAZUS-MS for Earthquake - July 22-25, 2019
E179  Application of HAZUS-MH for Disaster Operations - March 18-21, August 26-29, 2019. 
E190  ArcGIS for Emergency Managers -  December 3-6, 2018, May 6-9, 2019
E210  Recovery from Disaster: The Local Government Role -  March 11-14, June 17-20, 2019
E212  Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program: Developing Quality Application Elements - May 6-9, 2019
E213  Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program:  Application Review and Evaluation -
July 29-30, 2019
E214  Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program:  Project Implementation and Programmatic Closeout - July 31 - August 1, 2019
E273  Managing Floodplain Development through the NFIP - March 18-21, June 17-20, Aug 26-29, 2019
E276  Benefit-Cost Analysis:  Entry Level  - April 29-30, June 12-13, 2019
E278  Community Rating System (CRS) - March 25-28, June 24-27, 2019
E279  Retrofitting Floodprone Residential Buildings - May 13-16, 2019
E282  Advanced Floodplain Management Concepts II - July 15-19, 2019
E284  Advanced Floodplain Management Concepts III - February 4-7, 2019
E312  Fundamentals of Building Science -    September 23-26, 2019
E313  Basic HAZUS-MH - May 14-17, May 20-23, August 19-22, 2019 
E317  Comprehensive Data Management for HAZUS-MH - June 10-12, September 16-19, 2019
E386  Residential Coastal Construction -  August 12-15, 2019
 

EMI also offers free Independent Study courses on various aspects of the NFIP aimed at  community officials, surveyors, insurance agents, and claims adjusters.  These web-based courses are free and can be taken at your own pace. Below is a sample of courses available.  Independent study courses are also available for other topics in emergency management, hazard mitigation planning, disaster response and dam safety.    

IS-10.a     Animals in Disasters:  Awareness & Preparedness
IS-11.a     Animals in Disasters:  Community Planning
IS-30a      Mitigation eGrants for the Subgrant Applicant
IS-42       Social Media in Emergency Management
IS-111.a   Livestock in Disasters
IS-212.b   Introduction to Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA)
IS-276      Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Fundamentals
IS-277      Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA):  Entry Level
IS-279.a   Introduction to Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures
IS-284      Using the Substantial Damage Estimator 2.0 Tool
IS-366.a   Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters
IS-386      Introduction to Residential Coastal Construction
IS-393.a   Introduction to Hazard Mitigation
IS-394.a   Protecting Your Home or Small Business From Disaster
IS-552      The Public Works Role in Emergency Management 
IS-554      Emergency Planning for Public Works
IS-556      Damage Assessment for Public Works
IS-558      Public Works and Disaster Recovery
IS-559      Local Damage Assessment
IS-634      Introduction to FEMA's Public Assistance Program
IS-1100.a  Increased Cost of Compliance
IS-1101     Basic Agent Tutorial
IS-1102     Theory of Elevation Rating
IS-1103     Elevation Certificate for Surveyors
IS-1104     NFIP Claims Review for Adjusters
IS-1105     EC Made Easy:  Elevation Certificate Overview
IS-1106     FEMA Mapping Changes
IS-1107     Adjuster Customer Service
IS-1108     Insuring Condominiums
IS-1109     Understanding Basement Coverage
IS-1110.a  Writing Commercial Exposures
IS-1111     Introduction to Commercial Claims
IS-1112     Introduction to Flood Claims
IS-1113     Coastal Barrier Resources Act
IS-2001     Threat and Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA)
Visit the DEEP website at www.ct.gov/deep.  Published by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Land and Water Resources Division.  Editor:  Diane Ifkovic, State National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Coordinator, email:  diane.ifkovic@ct.gov.
CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
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