New Repeatedly Flooded Property Bill

On February 6, a bill was introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer and David Kustoff, along with Ben McAdams and Ann Wagner in order to address repetitive-loss properties from flood and ways to mitigate those areas. The bill, called the Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act, amends the original 1968 Flood Act by adding definitions, requirements for communities covered by flood insurance, outlines how plans can be incorporated into existing plans, outlines assistance available to communities, lists sanctions for noncompliance, and adds reports required to be made to Congress.

The term “covered community” is defined as a community participating in the National Flood Insurance program and falls into one of three categories. The first is properties with no fewer than fifty repetitive loss structures each of which, during any ten-year period, have had no fewer than two claims for payments under flood insurance for a total of more than $1,000. The second criteria is properties with no fewer than five repetitive loss structures for which mitigation activities meeting the required mitigation standards have not been conducted; and the last criteria is a public or private facility that has received assistance for repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement under part of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act relating to more than one flooding event during the most recent ten-year period. The definitions of private nonprofit facility, public facility and severe repetitive loss structure are found in various sections of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The Stafford Act is designed to allow the Federal Government to bring an orderly and ongoing way of assisting state and local governments to respond to natural disasters to provide aid to residents to alleviate suffering and damage caused by such disasters.