2011/09/26 - OTHER - (NA) - Note

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The NFIP offers two types of flood insurance policies to property owners: the low-cost Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) and the Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP). The PRP is available for I- to 4-family residential structures located outside the SFHA with little or no loss history. The PRP is available for townhouse/rowhouse-type structures, but is not available for other types of condominium units. The SFIP is available for all other structures. Additional information on the PRP and how a property owner can quality for this type of policy may be obtained by contacting the Flood Insurance Information Hotline, toll free, at 1-800-427-4661. Before making a final decision about flood insurance coverage, FEMA strongly encourages property owners to discuss their individual flood risk situations and insurance needs with an insurance agent or company. The revisions made effective by a LOMR-F are made pursuant to Section 206 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) and are in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended(Title XIII of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, P.L. 90-448)42 U.S.C. 4001-4128, and 44 CFR Part 65. In accordance with regulations adopted by the community when it made application to join the NFIP, letters issued to revise an NFIP map must be attached to the community's official record copy of the map. That map is available for public inspection at the community's official map repository. Therefore, FEMA sends copies of all such letters to the affected community's official map repository. To ensure continued eligibility to participate in the NFIP, the community must enforce its floodplain management regulations using, at a minimum, the flood elevations and zone designations shown on the NFIP map, including the revisions made effective by LOMR-Fs. LOMR-Fs are based on minimum criteria established by the NFIP. State, county, and community officials, based on knowledge of local conditions and in the interest of safety, may set higher standards for construction in the SFHA. If the State, county, or community has adopted more restrictive and comprehensive floodplain management criteria,these criteria take precedence over the minimum Federal criteria. FEMA does not print and distribute LOMR-Fs to primary map users, such as local insurance agents and mortgage lenders; therefore, the community serves as the repository for LOMR-Fs. FEMA encourages communities to disseminate LOMR-Fs so that interested persons, such as property owners, insurance agents, and mortgage lenders, may benefit from the information. FEMA also encourages communities to prepare articles for publication in the local newspaper that describe the changes made and the assistance community officials will provide in serving as a clearinghouse for LOMR-Fs and interpreting NFIP maps. When a restudy is undertaken, or when a sufficient number of revisions occur on particular map panels, FEMA initiates the printing and distribution process for the panels and incorporates the changes made effective by LOMR-Fs. FEMA notifies community officials in writing when affected map panels are being physically revised and distributed. If the results of particular LOMR-Fs cannot be reflected on the new map panels because of scale limitations, FEMA notifies the community in writing and revalidates the LOMR-Fs in that letter. LOMR-Fs revalidated in this way usually will become effective 1 day after the effective date of the revised map. LOMRFENC-1