Residents to see some flood insurance relief

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Long Beach residents will see some relief in the form of a 15 percent reduction on their National Flood Insurance premiums, up from 10 percent previously. Long Beach is one of only five municipalities on all of Long Island that successfully participated in the NFIP’s Community Rating System program.

The CRS is a voluntary program that provides incentives for resilient community floodplain management. To receive a discount, communities must reduce flood loss, facilitate accurate insurance ratings, and promote awareness of flood insurance. 

According to the city’s director of communications, Gordon Tepper, this includes mailings sent out to residents, posting community updates online as well as the various rebuilding efforts the city has undertaken in accordance with its Community Reconstruction Plan. Because of the steps the city has taken to build more resilient infrastructure, Tepper said, residents can expect to see a reduction on their insurance premiums.

“Previously, because of our successful involvement in the program, Long Beach residents enjoyed a 10 percent discount off the top on their flood premiums,” City Council President Len Torres said. “Thanks to our continued efforts, effective May 1, 2016, we are being upgraded to a Class 7 community, which results in a 15 percent premium discount on flood insurance in the City of Long Beach.” 

Absolutely no action is required by Long Beach homeowners to receive the discount, as the reduction is automatically applied to all flood insurance plan and is indicated on your annual bill. Premiums, which can cost up to thousands of dollars a year, rose significantly in 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

“This victory is an example of persistence paying off,” added Councilman Anthony Eramo. “We have been battling to reduce flood insurance for Long Beach homeowners, and we are thrilled to have achieved this level of success. We will continue fighting for Long Beach taxpayers every way that we can to seek further reductions in flood insurance, and we will continue advocating on the state and federal level until all Long Beach homeowners have the resources they need and deserve to build stronger, smarter, and safer.”