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Program for Public Information Annual Progress Report
4. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025/2026
The approval of the original PPI Report, along with other efforts that the City has
undertaken related to floodplain management, contributed to a CRS Class
modification from Class 7 to Class 6, earning residents a 20% discount on flood
insurance effective October 1, 2025.
Looking to the future, the work that the Committee and City staff are doing through
its maintenance of the PPI is more important now than ever: since 2023 when the
committee was established, the number of NFIP flood insurance policies has
decreased. The decline in policies is notably steepest in the voluntary purchase
policy base – homes outside the SFHA that are not required to purchase flood
insurance (1058 to 815, a loss of 243 policies). The policy base for those in the SFHA
declined from 368 to 314, a decline of 54 policies.
Though still unknown, the reason for the decline might be related to the NFIP’s new
rating engine (Risk Rating 2.0). The cost per policy likely increased, making the cost
of a voluntary policy less enticing. All policies, regardless of whether they are located
within or outside of the SFHA, are now rated using the same formulae. It should be
further noted that the policy data above does not reflect private flood insurance
policies, and some properties that are no longer insured through the NFIP may be
covered by the private insurance market. Regardless of the causes for the decline in
NFIP policies, it is a continued priority of the Committee to message the importance
of flood insurance.
The messaging, materials, outreach activities, and partnerships that the Committee
and City staff have developed during and since the adoption of the PPI report have
established comprehensive and accessible resources for the communities of
Newport News. The depth and breadth of these resources will only grow as the
Committee and City staff continue to pursue the PPI Goals in the future.
Even with all the outreach projects that the City has accomplished in the past year, it
continues to look forward and is currently developing further outreach projects,
including:
• Join the Partners in Preparedness Campaign with the Virginia Department of
Emergency Management (VDEM), which is a hyperlocal effort that enables
community leaders to disseminate preparedness information.
• Install a billboard and/or flashing traffic signs with information on 311 and
‘drive safe’ messaging to keep Newport News communities safe during flood
events.
• Install storm surge/high water mark awareness pole from the National
Hurricane Center with an informational sign and QR code to the Flood
Information Website
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025/2026 20Jump to an indexed page (75 of 75)