DEPARTMENT: Public Works
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Razi Hosseini, P.E., R.P.L.S
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Community Rating System (CRS) Program for Public Information (PPI)
SUMMARY:
The Public Works Department will provide a briefing to the City Council Community Health and Equity Committee on the Program for Public Information (PPI) as part of the Community Rating System (CRS) program application.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the Community Rating System (CRS) through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). CRS is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities exceeding the National Flood Insurance Program requirements. San Antonio is currently the only major city in Texas not participating in the CRS program.
Under the CRS, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reward community actions such as reducing flood damage to insurable properties, strengthening and supporting the insurance aspects of NFIP and encouraging a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.
Previous Council Action
On December 10, 2020, the execution of a Professional Services Agreement between the City of San Antonio and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. to provide on-call civil engineering services to complete the application process for the City’s entry into the Community Rating System (CRS) program was approved through Ordinance 2020-12-10-0905. The consultant Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. will be responsible for providing the necessary documentation and overseeing the preparation, submission and processing of the application including the formulation of a plan outlining the resources needed to sustain a successful program. Once the CRS program is approved and implemented, the Public Works Department anticipates a reduction in flood insurance premiums for San Antonio property owners.
As part of the City of San Antonio’s entry into the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) program, the City is to establish the Program for Public Information (PPI). The PPI serves as a planning tool to refine the City’s outreach efforts and improve CRS point credits to achieve a favorable CRS class. The PPI will serve as a guide for a flood-related public information campaign. The PPI plan provides guidance for how the City will provide technical assistance and general flood-related outreach.
ISSUE:
The Public Works Department will provide a briefing to the City Council Community Health and Equity Committee on the Program for Public Information (PPI) as part of the Community Rating System (CRS) program application.
As part of the City’s entry into the NFIP Community Rating System program, the City established a Program for Public Information (PPI). The PPI serves as a planning tool to develop and refine the City’s outreach efforts and improve CRS point credits. Credits are the mechanism FEMA uses to assign the amount of flood insurance discount percentage. The PPI will serve as a guide for a flood-related public information campaign. It will provide guidance for how the City will provide technical assistance and general flood-related informational outreach. Once accepted into the CRS program, the City will be required to implement the PPI plan approved by City Council or a City Council Committee.
The proposed PPI plan was drafted in collaboration with City Departments, partner agencies, and stakeholders from the community familiar with flood programs and public outreach. The PPI committee met three times in six weeks to brainstorm, discuss, and evaluate existing and proposed PPI outreach efforts and target audiences. Due to COVID constraints and the approaching NFIP deadline, there was a limited number of committee members invited to participate. However, once the City is accepted into the CRS program, additional members will be recruited to participate as part of PPI committee.
During discussions, the PPI committee inventoried existing outreach activities from the City of San Antonio, San Antonio River Authority and other organizations involved in floodplain management and emergency management to be included in the PPI plan.
Additionally, the committee identified target audiences to provide outreach messages. The target audiences identified included the following but not limited to:
• Residents Living in Floodplains
• Bexar County Appraisal District
• Repetitive Loss Area Residents
• Spanish Speakers
• Neighborhood Leadership
• Developers/Engineers/Builders
It is intended that the PPI will be updated at least every five years. Any new plans or addenda will include updates to the need’s assessment and, if required, updates based upon evaluations of the outreach projects. Implementing the PPI as part of the City’s entry into the CRS program will provide for efforts to reduce the cost of flood insurance in the community, which may encourage homeowners to become policyholders.
ALTERNATIVES:
This memo is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This memo is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff will brief City Council Community Health and Equity Committee to proceed with implementation of a Program for Public Information (PPI) to meet the requirement as part of the Community Rating System (CRS) program application deadline of July 2021.