PIA National is actively engaged on numerous COVID-19-related legislative initiatives; at the same time, we continue to advocate on many other issues important to PIA members. As such, last week, we were pleased to sign on to a coalition letter urging congressional appropriators to provide strong funding for the Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis Program during the FY 2021 appropriations process.

Funding for the mapping program is a crucial investment in the evaluation of future risk that will minimize future flood losses by improving pre-disaster mitigation and zoning planning. Accurate mapping also helps community managers, developers, insurers, and policyholders make sound decisions about where to build and where and whether to rebuild. This saves time and money by lessening property loss from storms and necessitating fewer emergency disaster relief dollars from the federal government.

PIA National believes investment in flood risk mapping is a vital part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and will continue to urge policymakers to adequate fund the program throughout the appropriations process.