[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 250 (Thursday, December 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 82355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-33175]



[[Page 82355]]

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FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY


Notice of Intent To Implement a Pilot Inspection Procedure of 
Insured Structures Under the National Flood Insurance Program

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: We, FEMA, give notice that we will implement the pilot 
inspection procedure for Monroe County, Florida, and the Village of 
Islamorada, located in Monroe County, under the National Flood 
Insurance Program (NFIP). We established the pilot inspection procedure 
and the criteria for implementing the procedure by a rule published on 
June 27, 2000 in the Federal Register.

DATES: The starting date for the inspection procedure is January 1, 
2001 for Monroe County and the Village of Islamorada. The termination 
date for Monroe County is December 31, 2007. The termination date for 
the Village of Islamorada is January 1, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald Beaton, Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, Federal Insurance Administration, 500 C Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646-4327, (email) [email protected], 
or Lois Forster, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mitigation 
Directorate, 500 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646-2720, 
(facsimile) (202) 646-2577, (email) [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We established the pilot inspection 
procedure and the criteria to implement it under 44 CFR 59.30 in a 
final rule published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2000, 65 FR 
39726. We established the procedure: (1) To help the communities of 
Monroe County and the Village of Islamorada verify that structures 
comply with the community's floodplain management ordinance; and (2) to 
ensure that property owners pay flood insurance premiums to the NFIP 
commensurate with their flood risk. The inspection procedure requires 
owners of insured buildings to obtain an inspection from community 
officials and to submit a Community Inspection Report as a condition of 
renewing the Standard Flood Insurance Policy on the building.
    The community inspection procedure applies only to insured post-
FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Map) buildings located in the Special Flood 
Hazard Areas of the communities participating in the inspection 
procedure.
    The final rule requires the Associate Director for Mitigation and 
the Federal Insurance Administrator to establish the starting and 
termination dates for the pilot inspection procedure based on the 
recommendation of the Regional Director. The Regional Director has 
consulted with each community. The final rule further requires that 
before the inspection procedure starts the Associate Director and the 
Federal Insurance Administrator must publish a notice in the Federal 
Register that the communities will undertake the inspection procedure, 
stating the purpose and effective time that the pilot inspection 
procedure will cover. Each community must also publish a similar notice 
in a prominent local newspaper and publish other notices as 
appropriate.
    The starting date for the inspection procedure for Monroe County 
and the Village of Islamorada is January 1, 2001. For Monroe County, 
the termination date is December 31, 2007 and for the Village of 
Islamorada, the termination date is January 1, 2004.
    After the starting date, the insurers will send endorsements to the 
Standard Flood Insurance Policy to policyholders notifying all 
policyholders in the two communities that we may require them to obtain 
a community inspection as a condition of renewing the Standard Flood 
Insurance Policy. All new and renewed policies effective February 15, 
2001 and thereafter must contain the endorsement, which we established 
in the final rule.
    For insured buildings that the community identifies as possible 
violations of the community's floodplain management ordinance, the 
insurer will send a subsequent notice to the policyholder six months 
before the flood insurance policy renewal date. We anticipate that the 
insurers will start sending the six-month notice August 15, 2001 and 
thereafter. The insurer will send a reminder notice with the renewal 
bill approximately 45 days before the policy renewal date.
    If a policyholder receives a notice requiring a community 
inspection as a condition of renewing their Standard Flood Insurance 
Policy, the following conditions apply:
    (1) If the policyholder obtains an inspection from the community 
and the policyholder sends the community inspection report and premium 
to the insurer as part of the renewal process, the insurer will renew 
the policy and will verify the flood insurance rate; or
    (2) If the policyholder does not obtain and submit a community 
inspection report the insurer will not renew the policy.
    For insured post-FIRM buildings that the community inspects and 
determines to violate the community's floodplain management 
regulations, the community must demonstrate that it is undertaking 
measures to remedy the violation to the maximum extent possible.
    A major goal of the NFIP is to reduce flood losses by implementing 
floodplain management regulations that protect new and substantially 
improved construction in floodprone areas from flood damages. Community 
adoption and enforcement of a floodplain management ordinance is 
critical in protecting a building from future flood damages, in 
reducing taxpayer funded disaster assistance, and in keeping flood 
insurance rates affordable.

    Dated: December 22, 2000.
James L. Witt,
Director.
[FR Doc. 00-33175 Filed 12-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6718-05-P