Kansas City is no stranger to flooding, and the impacts of floods can be both emotionally and financially devastating. To understand the potential danger, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides an online tool to help the public to estimate potential flood damages at www.floodsmart.gov/cost-flooding. Keep in mind that most standard homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover flood damage.
Flood insurance can be an added expense and so to help residents in KC see lower costs and get the protection they could need from flooding, KC Water participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) under FEMA. The CRS is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages communities to enact floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Flood insurance premium rates are discounted for CRS communities to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community’s efforts.
Many of the initiatives the city have put into place have made it eligible for a CRS discount. These include environmentally sound regulations like the Open Space Developments & Conservation Developments and Stream Buffers, extensive watershed studies and modeling, integrated stormwater management, and multi-decades of flood mitigation improvements.
All insurable properties in the City currently can receive a 15% discount off their NFIP flood insurance premium. This discount is automatically applied upon purchase or renewal of the NFIP flood insurance policy. More information is available from the City’s Planning and Rezoning Office (816-513-1500) and KC Water’s CRS office (816-513-0371). General flood insurance information is available from the National Flood Insurance Program Help Center (800-427-4661).