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NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

July 30, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH HOSTS PUBLIC SESSIONS ABOUT CHANGES TO
NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM’S COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM

Jefferson Parish Department of Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation to
explain what the changes could mean for homeowners and how to maintain flood insurance savings

JEFFERSON, LA - Jefferson Parish Department of Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation is hosting two information sessions to announce anticipated changes to the Jefferson Parish elevation standards as part of a new requirement from the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). The sessions will explain how adopting these new requirements will help policy holders maintain flood insurance savings and what the changes could mean for homeowners undergoing renovation and new construction.

The first session is scheduled for Monday, August 16, 2021 from 6 – 7 p.m. at the Yenni Building’s Council Chambers located at 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd, Jefferson, LA 70123. This meeting will be broadcasted on JPTV and Jefferson Parish’s Facebook page. The second information session will be on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 from 6 – 7 p.m. at the Jefferson Parish West Bank Regional Library at 2751 Manhattan Blvd in Harvey.

Jefferson Parish must adopt the new requirements from CRS in order to maintain its Class 5 CRS Community Rating (the best rating in the state of Louisiana), which provides flood insurance policyholders in unincorporated Jefferson Parish a 25 percent discount on policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area, saving $10 million annually.

The new requirement set forth by CRS includes adding one foot of freeboard, which is additional height above the Base Flood Elevation, to both new construction and substantial renovations of residential and non-residential structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area. Specific changes will depend on the type of property and whether it is inside or outside the levee. CLICK HERE or see attached for more information.

The Jefferson Parish elevation standards are set forth in Chapter 14 of the Code of Ordinances. The Jefferson Parish Council will vote on whether to change this to reflect the new requirements at a Jefferson Parish Council Meeting in August 2021.

Jefferson Parish has participated in the NFIP’s CRS since 1992. The CRS allows communities to earn points for implementing flood reduction activities that are above and beyond the NFIP’s minimum standards. For more information about this system, visit National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System | FEMA.gov.

The Jefferson Parish Department of Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation strives to lessen the risk of flooding and implement long-term actions now to reduce the loss of life and property from the impacts of future disasters in Jefferson Parish. The Department regularly updates and produces annual progress reports for the Jefferson Parish Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), the Jefferson Parish Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA), and the Jefferson Parish Multijurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI). The 2021 reports provide an update for each mitigation action prioritized in the Hazard Mitigation Plan that was completed in 2020 and the Area Analysis completed in 2018. The PPI Plan was formally updated in 2020 and will be evaluated later this year. For more information about the Department of Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation and/or to view the annual progress reports or plans, visit www.jeffparish.net/HMP, www.jeffparish.net/RLAA, and www.jeffparish.net/PPI.

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.


Jefferson Parish Public Information Office

1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002

Jefferson, LA 70123

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Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO