Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish Improves Flood Rating

Residents of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana could soon see a reduction in flood insurance premiums, after the parish improved its class rating for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Jefferson Parish’s Community Rating System (CRS) will improve from a Class 5 to a Class 3 rating beginning Oct. 1, the parish announced this week. The CRS uses a rating system that is similar to fire insurance rating to determine flood insurance premium reductions for residents, according to a FEMA fact sheet.

Each CRS class improvement produces a 5 percent greater discount on flood insurance premiums for properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area, according to FEMA.

Jefferson Parish is the first CRS Class 3 in Louisiana.

“Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng and parish leadership’s work on this outstanding achievement will make a real difference on flood insurance costs for the residents and business owners who benefit,” said Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “In just the past few months, we’ve seen local leadership across the state demonstrate a real commitment to building more resiliently in Louisiana”

The CRS program rewards participating communities for implementing floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum requirements of the NFIP. Communities can earn points towards their CRS score through a number of activities.

The actions that helped Jefferson Parish improve from a Class 5 to a Class 3 include:

• Improving our Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule to a score of 3 for residential building codes and a score of 4 for commercial building codes
• Adopting freeboard (additional feet of flooding protection above FEMA’s minimum requirement) for all structures
• Maintaining our open space
• Having a Watershed Management Plan
• Continuing to improve our Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Protecting our natural floodplain functions
• Earning credit for our Flood Warning and Response practices
• Informing citizens of their risk of living inside levee-protected areas through an annual mailer

“This is great news and an incredible achievement that directly benefits our residents and business owners in unincorporated Jefferson Parish,” said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. Not only will our residents and business owners see financial relief because of this Class 3 rating, but our community as a whole will continue to benefit from a comprehensive floodplain management and mitigation plan that helps make us more resilient in the face of disasters.”

Topics Flood Louisiana