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Newport News Program for Public Information
BACKGROUND
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a part of the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP). It provides reductions to flood insurance premiums in participating
communities. The reductions are based on community floodplain management
programs, including public information activities. To keep those discounts,
communities must continue to implement their programs and provide status
reports to the NFIP each year. Newport News is currently ranked as a Class 7
community (scale of 1-10) in the CRS program, earning residents a 15% discount on
their flood insurance premiums.
In addition to the flood insurance discounts that the CRS provides, the program
promotes risk awareness and mitigation action at the community level. Well-
informed people make better decisions and take additional steps to protect
themselves and their property from flooding. This can include retrofitting their
homes, buying flood insurance, and planning the actions they will take before,
during, and after the next flood. This program also encourages residents to learn
about and support local floodplain management efforts to protect the natural
functions of their community’s floodplain. The National Institute of Building Sciences
has reported that every $1 spent on disaster mitigation saves $6 on the back end
(NIBS, 2017).
A Program for Public Information (PPI) is an ongoing effort to prepare, implement,
and monitor a range of public information activities. The objective of CRS credit for a
PPI is to allow communities to think “outside” of the box and be creative in their
approach to outreach for flooding. It provides credit for information programs that
are designed to meet local needs and that are monitored, evaluated, and revised to
improve their effectiveness. The City has developed its PPI in accordance with the
CRS credit criteria found within Activity 330 of the CRS Manual (FEMA, 2017).
Flood hazard reduction has been a priority for the City of Newport News, and the
development of this PPI builds on existing public outreach and educational efforts
related to flooding.
I. PPI STEPS AND OUTCOMES
A PPI should assess all the community’s needs for flood-related information and
coordinate all the resources that can deliver information. It should recommend a
range of activities that convey information to residents, businesses, tourists, school
children, and other audiences in and around the community. It should include an
objective review of what is being done and how public information activities could
be improved. Therefore, a PPI needs to be developed by a committee that consists of
members from both inside and outside the local government. The steps to obtain
CRS credit for a PPI are as follows:
Step 1: Establish a Committee for Public Information – identify the community’s
need for flood-related information and coordinate resources that can deliver
information and create messaging.
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