A Community-Based Flood Insurance Option (2015)
Chapter: Front Matter
A Community-Based
Flood Insurance Option
Committee on Community-Based Flood Insurance Options
Water Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Board on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Contract No. HHSP233201400020B with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (via U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-37468-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-37468-5
Cover credit: Cover images courtesy of FEMA and FEMA/Bruce Kinney.
Additional copies of this report are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu/.
Copyright 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Community-Based Flood Insurance Option. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org.
This page intentionally left blank.
COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY-BASED
FLOOD INSURANCE OPTIONS
HENRY J. VAUX, JR., Chair, University of California, Berkeley and Riverside
PATRICIA BORN, Florida State University, Tallahassee
JEFFREY CZAJKOWSKI, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
LLOYD DIXON, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California
ROBERT HIRSCH, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia
ROGER KASPERSON, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
ROBERT KLEIN, Georgia State University, Atlanta
SANDRA KNIGHT, University of Maryland, College Park
DAVID I. MAURSTAD, OST, Inc., Washington, DC
SALLY McCONKEY, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois
TOMMY WRIGHT, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC
RICHARD ZECKHAUSER, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Staff
ED J. DUNNE, Study Director, Water Science and Technology Board
SCOTT T. WEIDMAN, Director, Board on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications
BRENDAN McGOVERN, Senior Program Assistant, Water Science and Technology Board
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
EDWARD J. BOUWER, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
DAVID A. DZOMBAK, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
M. SIOBHAN FENNESSY, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
BEN GRUMBLES, Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore
GEORGE R. HALLBERG, The Cadmus Group, Watertown, Massachusetts
ARTURO A. KELLER, University of California, Santa Barbara
CATHERINE L. KLING, Iowa State University, Ames
LARRY LARSON, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Madison, Wisconsin
DINAH LOUDA, Veolia Institute, Paris, France
DAVID I. MAURSTAD, OST, Inc., Washington, DC
STEPHEN POLASKY, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
MARYLYNN V. YATES, University of California, Riverside
JAMES W. ZIGLAR, SR., Van Ness Feldman, Washington, DC
Staff
JEFFREY JACOBS, Director
LAURA J. EHLERS, Senior Program Officer
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Senior Program Officer
ED J. DUNNE, Program Officer
M. JEANNE AQUILINO, Financial and Administrative Associate
MICHAEL J. STOEVER, Research Associate
ANITA A. HALL, Senior Program Associate
BRENDAN R. McGOVERN, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES
AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
DONALD G. SAARI, Chair, University of California, Irvine
DOUGLAS N. ARNOLD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
JOHN B. BELL, E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
VICKI M. BIER, University of Wisconsin, Madison
JOHN R. BIRGE, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
L. ANTHONY COX, JR, Cox Associates, Denver, Colorado
MARK L. GREEN, University of California, Los Angeles
JOSEPH A. LANGSAM, University of Maryland, College Park
BRYNA KRA, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
ANDREW W. LO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
DAVID MAIER, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
WILLIAM A. MASSEY, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
JUAN C. MEZA, University of California, Merced
CLAUDIA NEUHAUSER, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
FRED S. ROBERTS, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
GUILLERMO SAPIRO, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
CARL P. SIMON, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
KATEPALLI SREENIVASAN, New York University, New York, New York
ELIZABETH A. THOMPSON, University of Washington, Seattle
Staff
SCOTT T. WEIDMAN, Director
NEAL D. GLASSMAN, Senior Program Officer
MICHELLE K. SCHWALBE, Program Officer
RODNEY HOWARD, Administrative Assistant
This page intentionally left blank.
Acknowledgments
The committee appreciates the assistance of the many individuals who provided presentations and additional information to the committee. The committee would like to particularly thank Leonard A. Shabman and Carolyn Kousky, of Resources for the Future, who provided extensive input to the committee.
This report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their breadth of perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with the procedures approved by the National Academies’ Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review was to provide candid and critical comments to assist the institution in ensuring that its published report is scientifically credible and that it meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The reviewer comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the deliberative process. We thank the following reviewers for their helpful suggestions, all of which were considered and many of which were wholly or partly incorporated in the final report: Chad Berginnis, The Association of State Floodplain Managers, Madison, WI; Philip Berke, Texas A&M University, College Station; Gerald Galloway (NAE), University of Maryland, College Park; Ed Pasterick, FEMA, retired, Bowie, MD; Bruce Patton, California Earthquake Authority, Sacramento, CA; Mark V. Pauly (IOM), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and Shannon S. Van Zandt, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions and recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release.
Contents
What Is Community-Based Flood Insurance
2 WORKSHOP TOPICS AND PRESENTATIONS
Presentations at January 2015 Committee Meeting
Panel Discussion I: Community Approaches to Flood Insurance
Panel Discussion II: Flood Insurance, Risk, and Management from the Community Perspective
3 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT AND A PRECEDENT FOR A COMMUNITY-BASED FLOOD INSURANCE OPTION
Existing Community-Based Options for Managing Flood Risk
4 COMMUNITY-BASED FLOOD INSURANCE: ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS
