Supervisor Bill Reilich is pleased to announce that the Town of Greece, through participation in the National Flood Insurance Community Rating System (CRS) Program, has received a reduction in our Class rating from 7 to 6, providing additional savings for taxpayers. Our participation as a Class 6 CRS Community will provide Greece residents within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area with a twenty percent discount on their flood insurance policies. Benefits also include improved public safety, property loss reduction, open space and natural resource protection, and better post-disaster recovery. The Town of Greece’s level of participation currently provides policy holders within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (FEMA Mapped 100-year Floodplain) with a fifteen percent discount, and our new twenty percent reduction will provide cost savings for residents with flood insurance policies. This reduction is significant as flood insurance rates have risen lately due to recent laws aimed at making the program self-funding, the elimination of subsidies, and the increased water levels we have been experiencing this year.
The National Flood Insurance Community Rating System Program is a voluntary incentive program managed by the insurance industry and recognized by FEMA. CRS recognizes communities for enforcing floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum National Flood Insurance Program requirements. There are many benefits to participating in CRS, such as improved public safety, property loss reduction, open space and natural resource protection, and better post-disaster recovery. CRS credit points are earned for a wide range of floodplain management activities, which are organized under four categories: (1) Public Information Activities, (2) Mapping and Regulations, (3) Flood Damage Reduction Activities, and (4) Warning and Response.
In 2014, Supervisor Bill Reilich’s participation in the CRS program provided Greece residents within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area with a 10% discount on their flood insurance policies due to the Class 8 rating held by the Town of Greece. As a result of Supervisor Reilich’s direction, policies and continued efforts, the Town of Greece was officially acknowledged at this year’s annual meeting of the New York State Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association for advancing the Town’s status in the Community Rating System to Class 7, which is currently the highest rating in New York State. Supervisor Reilich continued to invest in efforts aligning with flood insurance policies, resulting in the Town of Greece receiving a class 6 rating, which will be effective May 1st, 2018. This makes the Town of Greece one of only a small handful of municipalities in New York State to hold the highest rating for its efforts to protect its citizens from losses caused by flooding and notes that the Town has significantly exceeded the requirements for NFIP participation and effective floodplain management.
“Since first taking office, saving taxpayer dollars has been my top priority. Today, I am pleased to announce that through our efforts, our Town has received full approval from the NFIP for a class reduction from 7 to 6, resulting in the saving of twenty percent for all Greece residents who currently have flood insurance. I have been working tirelessly with the Greece Town Board to provide financial assistance to our water front residents who have been affected by the rising water levels this past year, and this news comes at a time when the cost of flood insurance has increased dramatically across the nation and has become a burden for many communities that are situated in a flood plain”. said Supervisor Reilich.