Community Rating System (CRS)

Each year, flooding causes hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to homes and businesses.   Standard homeowners and commercial property insurance policies do not cover flood losses.

The National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program that credits community efforts beyond minimum standards by reducing flood insurance premiums for the community’s property owners.

Lower-cost flood insurance rates are only one of the rewards a community receives from participating in the CRS. Here are some other benefits:

• Citizens and property owners in CRS communities have increased opportunities to learn about risk, evaluate their individual vulnerabilities, and take action to protect themselves, as well as their homes and businesses.
• CRS floodplain management activities provide enhanced public safety, reduced damage to property and public infrastructure, and avoidance of economic disruption and loss.
• Communities can evaluate their flood programs against a nationally recognized benchmark.
• Technical assistance in carrying out some activities is available to community officials at no charge.
• CRS communities have incentives to maintain and improve their flood programs over time.

Calcasieu Parish is currently a Class 8 Community.  A 10% CRS discount is applied to full-risk premiums for all NFIP Flood policies.  A 5% discount is applied for properties outside of the special flood hazard areas. 

The following link contain more information on the NFIP’s new insurance rating and how you can keep your flood insurance affordable.

Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action | FEMA.gov