The 2012 CRS Manual

We’re pleased to be able to share a DRAFT version of the next CRS Coordinator’s Manual. PLEASE NOTE:

1. This will remain “Draft” until it completes the final Federal approval process.
2. The effective date of the 2012 Manual has not been set, but it will not be before October 1, 2012.
3. The draft Manual refers to “www.CRSresources.org.” This is a temporary website that will be replaced by the full CRS Resource Center, which will be under www.FloodSmart.gov before the Manual takes effect.

You can download a PDF copy from the DRAFT Manual page.

We’ve also updated many of the webinar presentations (and even added a video version of one of them). You can find them on the webinar presentations page.

Just a quick note to point out two changes to the 2012 CRS Manual website:

• We’ve updated the Summary of Proposed Changes to 330 report.
• We’ve added a new resource called Building Public Support For Floodplain Management

The deadline for comments on the proposed changes to the CRS program for 2012 is just one week away (August 31st). Please submit your comments via the CRS2012.org site’s Submit Comments or Questions page.

If you haven’t been back to the CRS2012.org site for a while, here’s a quick summary of what’s been changed over the past several weeks:

Updated Summary of Changes

• “2012 CRS Coordinator’s Manual Changes—Proposals July 21, 2011.” This updated, 32-page report summarizes the changes proposed in CRS criteria, credits, and procedures as of July 21, 2011.

New 200 Series (Procedures) Tab

• “Prerequisites: Their Use in the CRS.” This is the 50-page report of the Prerequisites Committee, as made to the CRS Task Force in June 2011.
• “Proposed CRS Participation Prerequisite: Purchase of Flood Insurance.” Under the proposal outlined in this paper, all communities that wish to participate in the CRS would have to certify that all their community-owned buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area are covered by flood insurance. The prerequisite in effect up until now has applied only to those buildings for which insurance was required as a condition of federal aid.

300 Series (Public Information)

• “Summary of Proposed Changes to CRS Activity 330—Outreach Projects” has been updated, based on feedback from webinar discussions and the pilot communities.
• Rethinking Outreach in the Community Rating System: Activity 330 Pilot Program is the report produced for the CRS by Ogilvy in 2010.
• Strategic Plan Evaluation: Activity 330 Outreach Projects is the report to the CRS Task Force made by the Activity 330 committee in 2010.
• The presentation made at the Activity 330 webinars has been converted to a pdf file and can be downloaded from the “Webinars” tab.

400 Series (Mapping and Regulations)

• “Credit for Regulation Administration.” This four-page paper summarizes the proposed new element Regulation Administration (RA) in Activity 430 – Higher Regulatory Standards.

We’ve added information about a new element (Regulation Administration) and discussing a proposed change regarding a community’s responsibility to purchase flood insurance.

We’ve added a new presentation covering the proposed changes to Activity 330 and updated the overview presentation covering all the changes being considered. You can download them from the Webinar Presentations page.

Also new are three background/overview documents on Activity 330: you can find them on the 300—Public Information Activities page.