In Louisiana, East Baton Rouge Parish residents and business owners will be eligible for an increased discount on their flood insurance premiums this fall.
According to a press release from the City of Baton Rouge, beginning Oct. 1, homeowners and business owners with National Flood Insurance Plan policies issued or renewed within East Baton Rouge Parish will be eligible for 20% discounts.
Policyholders in the parish are currently eligible for 15% discounts.
The parish has been elevated to a Class 6 rating in the NFIP Community Rating System. This rating, determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, recognizes the parish’s floodplain management activities and commitment to reducing flood risks.
“We remain committed to leading our community towards greater disaster resilience,” said Sharon Weston Broome, the mayor-president of Baton Rouge. “Our hard work means an additional 5% discount for EBR property owners, saving them an additional $700,000 a year. This achievement shows our commitment to reducing flood potential in Baton Rouge while reducing the financial burden of flood insurance on our residents and homeowners.”
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The release shared that, in addition to floodplain management, Mayor Broome’s administration will continue extensive drainage work in East Baton Rouge Parish. Thirty-five thousand tons of debris were removed from the Comite River, Claycut Bayou, Ward Creek, Jones Creek, Bayou Fountain, Elbow Creek and Dawson Creek in the last year.
“This discount is a direct result of the proactive flood mitigation strategies implemented under Mayor Broome to protect our community and reduce property damage,” the release said.
Per the FEMA website, flood insurance premium rates in CRS communities are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community’s efforts that address the three goals of the program.
These goals are reducing and avoiding flood damage to insurable property, strengthening and supporting the insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program and fostering comprehensive floodplain management.
The CRS discount scale ranges from Class 10, which offers no premium reduction, to Class 1, which provides a 45% discount. Read the full letter from FEMA to Broome on the City of Baton Rouge website.
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