Surging Seas - FEMA NFIP Community Rating System Guide

Surging Seas is a suite of free public web tools for sea level rise and coastal flood analysis from Climate Central. Climate Central has identified many ways the Surging Seas web tool could be used with FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)’s Community Rating System (CRS). CRS is a voluntary insurance rating program that recognizes communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed the Federal minimum requirements of the NFIP. (In exchange for flood risk reduction, policyholders can receive reduced flood insurance premiums.) Surging Seas and included web tools such as the Surging Seas Risk Zone Map and Risk Finder - could be used to support activities that receive points within this program.

The Surging Seas CRS Guide was informed by local CRS coordinators and FEMA/ISO representatives. FEMA suggested that Surging Seas can be very useful for a variety of flood and hazard projects and for CRS credited activities, primarily as a source of information on localized flooding and for floodplain management planning.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to access information and downloads from the Surging Seas web tool that could be utilized within specific CRS activities in FEMA’s Coordinator’s Manual (FIA-15/2013).

Use Surging Seas within CRS for:

Map Information Service - CRS Activity 322c

Outreach Projects - CRS Activity 330

Hazard Disclosure - CRS Activity 342d

Flood Protection Information - CRS Activity 350

Higher study standards - CRS Activity 412d

Protection of critical facilities - CRS Activity 432f

Floodplain management planning - CRS Activity 512a

Publication Date: February 13, 2017

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