City of Alexandria, Virginia Floodplain Management Plan

In 2012, the City of Alexandria, Virginia (by Council Resolution No. 2496) adopted the Northern Virginia Hazard Mitigation Plan Update and received credit under the federal Community Rating System (CRS) program to reduce flood risk and lower insurance premiums in its community. CRS is a voluntary program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the National Flood Insurance Program that allows participating local governments to earn discounts on their residents’ flood insurance premiums by implementing different flood mitigation actions. On a CRS Class Scale from one to ten - with Class One providing the highest insurance premium discount and Class Ten the lowest - Alexandria went from a Class 7 to a Class 6 under the CRS program (effective October 1, 2013), which saves policyholders in Special Flood Hazard Areas up to 20% on their flood insurance policies (a 5% savings increase from the previous 15% discount at Class 7). Other local governments could consider implementing similar actions as a part of updates to their hazard mitigation plans to similarly adapt to increased flood risk due to climate change and benefit property owners by participating in the CRS. 

Alexandria earned CRS credit for three activities:

  • Activity 510 to create a Floodplain Management Plan (FMP)
  • Activity 430 for staff certification as a Certified Floodplain Manager
  • Activity 502 for conducting a repetitive loss area analysis.

As one requirement of Activity 510, the city must prepare an annual progress report on the activities it is undertaking to mitigate local flooding impacts. The city’s FMP actions include:

  • Identifying and exploiting the most effective tools to communicate with the public during emergencies
  • Conducting annual outreach to repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss property owners (as determined by FEMA) to provide information on flood mitigation programs and potential funding sources
  • Supporting the mitigation of priority flood-prone structures through methods such as structural acquisitions or demolitions, elevations, and floodproofing;
  • Installing warning signs in parks subject to flooding
  • Elevating a vulnerable walkway along the popular Potomac River to mitigate nuisance flooding

In 2013, Alexandria was only one of two municipalities in Virginia to achieve a Class 6 rating, the highest in the state. As of October 2016, three additional local governments in Virginia (Fairfax County, City of Falls Church, and Gloucester County) achieved a Class 6 rating.

 

Publication Date: 2015

Related Organizations:

  • City of Alexandria, Virginia

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Resource Types:

  • Best practice
  • Case study
  • Progress report

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