REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approval of the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information 2015 Related to Floodplain Management
Report
BACKGROUND
As a benefit to the community, the City of Sunnyvale is a voluntary participant in the National Floodplain Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) program which is administered from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a participant in the CRS program, the City of Sunnyvale provides floodplain management activities above and beyond the minimum requirements of the NFIP. The goals are to support the strategies of reducing susceptibility to flood damage, impact of flooding, and flood occurrences. Each of these floodplain management activities is awarded points, and a corresponding classification within the CRS program. Sunnyvale's efforts have resulted in a CRS classification rating of 7, which translates into a 15% discount on flood insurance for those properties which are located within a special flood hazard area (commonly referred to as "flood zone"), and 5% discount for other areas of the City.
FEMA produces the CRS Coordinator's Manual which outlines how points are awarded for each floodplain management activity performed. FEMA updates the manual on average every five years; the newest version is dated 2013. Each agency in the CRS program is visited by the NFIP insurance specialist every five years for cycle verification. At this visit, the specialist reviews all activities performed in support of the program, assigns points, and makes a recommendation for the agency's classification rating. Sunnyvale's last visit was in 2012; the next visit will be in 2017. In between cycle verification visits, information is sent to the specialist annually to document that activities receiving points at the last cycle visit are being maintained.
A map of the flood zones within Sunnyvale's jurisdiction is included as Attachment 1.
EXISTING POLICY
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