On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report on the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) building requirements and guidance for agricultural areas and rural communities that have a high risk of flooding. The final report recommends that FEMA update existing guidance to include additional information on, and options for, mitigating the risk of flood damage to agricultural structures to reflect recent farming developments and structural needs in vast and deep floodplains.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), and Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to urge him to provide the new guidance within one year, as the current program’s lack of flexibility is negatively impacting growth of agricultural economy in California.
The GAO analyzed laws, regulations and FEMA policy and claims data; interviewed flood management and planning expert and FEMA officials; and interviewed state and local floodplain mangers, farmers, and lenders in eight selected communities in California, Louisiana, North Carolina, and North Dakota. While the study concluded different areas had very different levels of concern, it became obvious that farmers in California had been adversely impacted by the building requirements due to the deep flood depths, the difficulty in making structures water tight, and the impracticability of a wet flood-proofing depending upon the agricultural product.
The joint letter can be accessed here. The GAO report can be accessed here.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Regulatory Affairs Advocate Mary Pitto at (916) 447-4806 or mpitto@rcrcnet.org.