A Note From The Chair

By Alex Yescas

Happy Spring FMA Members,

I am hoping that you are all doing well and preparing for a busy year. In fact, perhaps we should all be preparing for a busy several years, based on recent news out of Washington, D.C. President Biden introduced a $2 trillion plan in late March to overhaul and upgrade the nation’s infrastructure. Among its goals are to create thousands of miles of rebuilt roads, implement vital repairs to important bridges around the U.S., and eliminate lead pipes from the nation’s water supplies; administration officials hope this will create millions of jobs in the short run and strengthen American competitiveness in the long run. Earlier this year, President Biden reinstated the federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which had required federally funded infrastructure to be built with a higher margin of safety against extreme floods and sea level rise.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, the president is saying that the goal is to create a resilient, innovative economy for the nation’s future. The overall package is being reviewed by lawmakers, but there is plenty of optimism that in the end, this will most likely benefit our flood risk reduction projects. I am hoping that many of the projects that we have planned will be well funded and implemented under this package. Stay tuned. In other important floodplain news, FEMA has released the rating system RISK RATING 2.0. This system will leverage best practices and latest technology to enable FEMA to deliver rates that are actuarily sound, equitable, easier to understand, and better reflect a property’s flood risk. The new methodology allows FEMA to equitably distribute premiums across all policyholders based on the value of their home and the flood risk of their property. Currently, many policyholders with lower value homes are paying more than they should and policyholders with higher value homes are paying less than they should. The new system will be implemented in phases:

•Phase I. New policies beginning October 1, 2021, will be subject to the new rating methodology. Also beginning October 1, existing policyholders eligible for renewal will be able to take advantage of immediate decreases in their premiums. •Phase II. All remaining policies renewing on or after April 1, 2022, will be subject to the new rating methodology.

FEMA continues to engage with Congress, its industry partners and state, local, tribal and territorial agencies to ensure clear understanding of these changes.

SAVE THE DATE

California Extreme Precipitation Symposium (CEPSYM) Exploring Floods in California’s Central Valley from a Climate Perspective June 22 & 23, 2021 – Virtual Format

Floodplain Management Association Annual Conference September 7-10, 2021 - Virtual via the Hubilo Platform

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The 2021 FMA annual CONFERENCE this year will be virtual. The conference was originally planned to take place in-person in Los Angeles, but this site will be saved as the host city for a later date. This year’s conference, scheduled for September 7-10, is being co-chaired by representatives from the Los Angeles area that can still bring their regional perspective on flood mitigation.

The virtual conference platform will be the same as used in 2020, Hubilo. The feedback we received from attendees stated that the platform worked out very well. We did make a change to the process for our presenters. The presenters will give live presentations with Q&A following their presentations. This was one of the critical points in the feedback we received and we have happily addressed that point. The conference organizers are accepting ABSTRACTS for presentations through May 31.

I highly recommend attending the Emerging Professionals Webinars, which feature very interesting topics, and for those flood management leaders, there is an opportunity to share your wisdom with these professionals. George Booth, our past FMA Chair, presented on a recent webinar to discuss his experience in the flood management field and his career that has spanned 40 years.

Enjoy the warmer weather and, if you haven’t already, start those gardens!