The Floodplain Management Program administers and shares a number of community tools to guide them through flood planning. There also programs available, particularly the Community Rating System program, to support communities with their flood insurance planning.
Community Rating System
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a program whereby a community gets points for certain activities in exchange for a lower flood insurance premium through the National Flood Insurance Program. The more a community does toward good floodplain management, the more points they can get. For each 500 points earned, the community qualifies for a 5% reduction in the flood insurance premiums.
For example, FEMA's eight-part Elevation Certificate Training Series provides guidance on how to complete each section of an elevation certificate as per requirements of the CRS program. The series also covers general issues that are commonly encountered and how to correct an elevation certificate that was filled out incorrectly.
Contact the Maine Floodplain Insurance Program at janet.parker@maine.gov for assistance with applying for the Community Rating System.
Maine Flood Resilience Checklist
The Maine Flood Resilience Checklist is a simple and practical self-assessment tool designed to assist communities evaluate how well positioned they are to prepare for, respond to, and recover from flooding events and sea level rise.
FEMA Planning Guides
FEMA has developed many Planning Guides to walk community leaders through the various elements of planning around emergency management, including for flooding events. Available guides include:
- Local Elected and Appointed Officials Guide: Roles and Resources in Emergency Management
- Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans
- Planning Considerations: Disaster Housing
- Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Local Governments
- Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) Guide
- Shelter-in-Place Guidance for Flooding/Flash Flooding
FEMA Flood Risk Communication Toolkit
FEMA’s Flood Risk Communication Toolkit and YouTube video series are designed to empower community officials when talking with the public about flood risk. The Toolkit and videos showcase the benefits of the mapping program and its role in risk reduction and resilience. This suite of tools can be used to plan community engagements.
The Flood Risk Communication Toolkit includes a Message Guide with tips about discussing complex risk topics, a Social Media Guide, and a Designing Effective Public Meetings Guide. The guide is also available in Spanish.
The YouTube series features short videos with topics that include “Introduction to the NFIP” and “We have a map – now what?”