Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Given that floods cause the greatest economic impact and affect more individuals annually than any other natural hazard, there is a growing need to better understand how communities can enhance their resilience to future flood disasters. One mechanism for enhancing communities’ resilience to future flood disasters is through participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program. The CRS is a voluntary program that was created in 1990 as a means to incentivize communities in the United States to implement floodplain management activities that exceed those required under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In exchange for adopting additional flood mitigation measures, communities receive discounts in their flood insurance premiums. Surprisingly, despite a growing body of research that indicates communities that participate in the CRS experience fewer flood losses, approximately five percent of communities that participate in the NFIP also participate in the CRS. To better understand the factors impacting CRS participation, this study employs propensity score matching techniques to match 100 randomly selected CRS participating communities with 100 non-CRS participating communities. Phone interviews of CRS coordinators and floodplain managers for all 200 communities will provide significant insights into community-level decision making regarding participation or non-participation in the CRS. The study will also offer policy recommendations for increasing community participation in the CRS.