Asheville residents who live or own property in flood zones have access to a federally subsidized flood insurance program through the City’s participation in a FEMA Community Rating System.
The Community Rating System (CRS) program, a part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), provides discounts off of flood insurance premiums to communities that exceed standards for floodplain management. Property owners in identified Asheville flood hazard zones can receive a 10% discount off of flood insurance premiums due to steps that the City has taken to reduce flood damage across the community.
During their May 28 meeting, City Council accepted information from staff outlining Asheville’s participation in the FEMA program and a summary of flood hazard mitigation outreach efforts. Those efforts have included:
- Public Works Department has teamed with the Army Corps of Engineers for a flood mitigation project at the Biltmore Avenue bridge, which is currently in design.
- The Flooding Inundation Mapping and Alert Network website’s (FIMAN) real-time water levels and site’s projections is used by the Asheville Fire Department, Public Works and Development Services Department to assist in advance warning for flooding, such as sending alerts to residents.
- Outreach to communities in flood-prone areas, such as to Biltmore Village merchants.
- Stormwater Services is working on two projects to address localized flooding: Edwin/Celia project, which is in the design phase, and the Morris Street stormwater improvement project, which is in the final construction phase.
- Extensive information on the City of Asheville website with links to flood preparation tips and interactive tools. The City’s website also links directly to the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program. In addition DSD staff is available to provide additional information and answer questions about properties in the floodplain.
“By undertaking these flood risk mitigation activities the City of Asheville helps better protect our community from risk by getting them access to this reduction in flood insurance premiums,” said Development Services Site Engineering Supervisor Nancy Watford.
The City has been a participant in FEMA’s Community Rating System since 2014. Find a copy of the staff report and Council resolution at this link.