The City of Sunnyvale has been granted a Class 7 rating by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS), effective May 1, 2003. This rating will enable Sunnyvale citizens and businesses to obtain a 15% discount on their flood insurance premiums. For the past five years, the City has maintained a Class 8 CRS rating, which has provided 10% discounts on flood insurance policies. The City has participated in FEMA’s CRS Program since 1998.

Over 850 flood insurance policies are active in the City of Sunnyvale. The City’s participation in the CRS Program is expected to save property owners approximately $75,000 per year in premium reductions.

Currently, the City of Palo Alto has a Class 7 rating while the cities of Mountain View and Santa Clara maintain a Class 8 rating.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides federally backed flood insurance that encourages communities to enact and enforce floodplain regulations. Over 19,000 communities participate in the NFIP nationwide. The program has been very successful in helping flood victims get back on their feet. At present, there are over 4.5 million policies in force. Over $11 billion in claims have been paid out since the program began in 1978. Sunnyvale has been a member of the NFIP since it’s inception.

Under the Community Rating System (CRS) flood insurance premiums are adjusted to reflect community activities that:

1) reduce flood damage to existing buildings;
2) manage development in areas not mapped by the NFIP;
3) protect new buildings beyond the minimum NFIP protection level;
4) help insurance agents obtain flood data; and
5) help people obtain flood insurance.

In August of 1997, the City approached FEMA with a request for assistance in preparing an initial application to the CRS program. A completed application was submitted to FEMA and the City was formally accepted into the CRS Program in 1998 with a Class 8 rating. Under the conditions of the Program, the City is eligible for an upgrade once every five years. Last year, an audit was conducted by FEMA of the City’s flood management programs. The Santa Clara Valley Water District was also audited for their efforts to obtain regional credit for floodplain practices. As a result of these audits, the City was granted a preliminary approval for a Class 7 status in August of last year. FEMA issued its formal letter of approval on April 10, 2003.

The general categories for consideration in the CRS program include the following: elevation certificates, map information, outreach projects, hazard disclosure, flood protection library, flood protection assistance, open space preservation, regulatory standards, flood data maintenance, stormwater management, and drainage system maintenance.

In granting the Class 7 rating, FEMA gave a large number of points for the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS), outreach efforts, building programs, flood information program and stormwater management plan.