City of Benbrook
911 Winscott Road
Benbrook, TX 76126
(817) 249-3000
(817) 249-0884 fax

CITY OF BENBROOK 
        Community Development

Floodplain Management in Benbrook

Click here for a map of the floodplain in Benbrook

Helpful Links

The National Flood Insurance Program

In 1968, Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in response to the rising cost of taxpayer-funded disaster relief for flood victims and the increasing amount of damage caused by floods.Benbrook is one of nearly 20,000 communities across the United States that participate in the NFIP by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage.In exchange, the NFIP makes Federally-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in Benbrook.

Flood damage has been reduced by nearly $1 billion a year nationally through partnerships with communities, the insurance industry, and the lending industry.Further, buildings constructed in compliance with NFIP building standards suffer approximately 80 percent less damage annually than those not built in compliance.

The NFIP is self-supporting for the average historical loss year, which means that operating expenses and flood insurance claims are not paid for by the taxpayer, but through premiums collected for flood insurance policies.The Program has borrowing authority from the U.S. Treasury for times when losses are heavy; however, these loans are paid back with interest.

When is Flood Insurance Required?

Most standard homeowner’s insurance policies will not cover damage caused by rising waters or water entering the house from the outside.Coverage for such losses is available through a separate flood insurance policy.To get Federally-secured financing to buy, build, or improve structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs, commonly called the 100-year floodplain) you will be required to purchase flood insurance.Lending institutions that are Federally-regulated or Federally-insured must determine if the structure is located in a SFHA and must require flood insurance.Flood insurance is available to any property owner located in a community participating in the NFIP.All areas are susceptible to flooding, although to varying degrees, in fact, 25% of all flood claims in the United States occur in the low-to-moderate risk areas outside of Special Flood Hazard Areas.

There's a big difference between having to buy flood insurance because the law says you must and choosing to buy flood coverage because it's in your best interests to do so.FEMA recommends that all property owners purchase and keep flood insurance because it is the best means of recovery from flood damage.

Community Rating System

The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements.As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS:

1.	Reduce flood losses,
2.	Facilitate accurate insurance rating; and
3.	Promote the awareness of flood insurance.