Thomas Ruppert, Florida Sea Grant Coastal Planning Specialist
Florida Sea Grant coastal planning specialist Thomas Ruppert has been invited to join an advisory committee for a national initiative that will help communities reduce their vulnerability to coastal storms, sea-level rise and flood risk through participation in the Community Rating System, or CRS.
The CRS incentivizes cities and counties to undertake floodplain management activities that exceed minimum requirements established by the National Flood Insurance Program. Communities that participate in the CRS and take steps to lower their flood risk receive points that lead to discounted flood insurance rates for area property owners.
Ruppert was chosen as a committee member because of his expertise in coastal and floodplain management.
“My work through Florida Sea Grant to promote understanding and awareness of both the National Flood Insurance Program and the Community Rating System to public audiences, local governments and Realtors, as well as experience with many aspects of coastal planning issues in Florida will allow me to contribute to the advisory committee and this project,” Ruppert said.
The project titled, “Improving Community Resiliency through the NFIP/CRS,” is a joint effort of Association of State Flood Plain Managers and Coastal States Organization and is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
One aspect of the project will include the development of a “CRS Green Guide,” which will serve as a roadmap for communities to implement best practices that contribute to CRS points. Funded projects are intended to reduce communities’ vulnerability to flooding and storms by strengthening natural ecosystems that also benefit fish and wildlife.
“The CRS Green Guide produced by this project will aid communities participating in the CRS to implement strategies that simultaneously improve and protect natural floodplain functions and save citizens money on their flood insurance,” Ruppert said.
“This project and Florida Sea Grant’s involvement support the goals of broad and effective participation in the CRS program, promoting both monetary savings for those with flood insurance as well as promoting the safety and resilience of participating communities.”
The other committee members include:
Michelle Burnett, State of Rhode Island Floodplain Manager and NFIP Coordinator
Dave Carlton, DkCarlton & Associates, PLLC
Lori Cary-Kothera, NOAA Office of Coastal Management
Todd Davison, NOAA Office of Coastal Management
Grover Fugate, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council
Jennifer Gilbert, New Hampshire’s Office of Energy and Planning
Allison Hardin, City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Elizabeth Hertz, State of Maine’s Municipal Planning Assistance Program
Russell Jackson, NOAA Pacific Services Center
Bill Lesser, FEMA
Scudder Mackey, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Christopher Thoms, State of Ohio State Floodplain Manager and NFIP Coordinator
For more information on the grants program funding this project, visit: http://www.nfwf.org/hurricanesandy/Pages/home.aspx
