# Understanding the Repeatedly Flooded Communities Planning Assistance Act

This bill creates a new program to help communities that experience chronic flooding problems get organized and develop strategies to reduce future flood damage. The federal government, through the National Flood Insurance Program, will identify communities that have been hit repeatedly by floods and require them to create detailed plans for addressing the problem. Specifically, a community qualifies if it has at least 50 properties that flood repeatedly, or at least 5 properties that suffer severe repeated flooding damage. Once identified, these communities must work with federal officials to map out which areas flood most often, figure out what future flood risks look like, and develop a specific action plan to reduce that risk.

The bill recognizes that many communities don't have the resources to tackle flooding problems on their own, so it authorizes the federal government to provide various types of assistance. This could include sharing flood data and technical expertise, helping communities find funding sources, reducing the amount of money communities have to contribute toward flood mitigation projects, and giving priority to these communities when federal grant money for flood protection becomes available. The bill also specifically calls for extra help for communities that are small, poor, or have historically been underserved by government programs.

Communities don't have to start from scratch either. If they've already developed flood plans through other federal programs or local planning efforts, they can use those existing plans to meet the new requirements, as long as the plans are thorough enough. The bill requires the federal government to report back to Congress every two years on how well this program is working and whether the number of repeatedly flooded properties is actually going down. Essentially, this bill puts a spotlight on communities with chronic flooding problems and gives them federal support to develop and implement real solutions rather than just dealing with floods as they happen.

Repeatedly Flooded Communities Planning Assistance Act of 2022

Blumenauer, Earl

Repeatedly Flooded Communities Planning Assistance Act of 2022 This bill requires communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program to develop a plan for mitigating flood risks to repeatedly damaged areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency may provide assistance to these communities in the form of information sharing, financial assistance, and technical assistance.