8/4/2019 Letter to FEMA From Us Representatives

1/5

illongr.enn of t4.e l l t n i t . e ~ j;tat.enl1Ius11ingtolt, lIm 20515

February 18,2011The Honorable W. Craig FugateAdministratorFederal Emergency Management AgencyU.S. Department ofHomeland Security500 C Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20472Dear Administrator Fugate:We write to urge you to use your current authorities to discontinue the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency's (FEMA) use of "without levees" analysis to determine new FloodInsurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) in cases where a final determination has not been made and anaffected community objects to such analysis in favor of more precise methods of floodmodeling. "Without levee" modeling methods assume that a levee or flood control structure thatexists in physical reality does not exist for the purposes of modeling, reducing the precision offlood maps and eroding public confidence in the mapping process itself.We value the efforts of the National Flood Insurance Program to accurately reflect flood risk tothe American public, but we also understand the negative impact the issuance of insufficientlyaccurate or insufficiently precise maps can have on communities at a time of economicuncertainty across our country. In investigating the methods and processes FEMA uses to makesuch flood hazard determinations, we have found that FEMA knowingly assumes that certainflood control structures that do exist in physical reality do not exist in the ensuing FEMAmodels, primarily for the sake of simplicity.We support FEMA's efforts to maximize taxpayer dollars by choosing simpler, more costeffective modeling techniques when appropriate. However, in cases where FEMA treats a floodcontrol structure as if it has been completely wiped off of the map, we may be unnecessarilydevaluing property and hurting the economies of cities, towns, counties and businesses. Thisapproach is particularly troubling since FEMA has the tools at its disposal to obtain more precisedata. Just because a levee is under repair or needs to be recertified does not mean that it providesno flood protection at all or that its level of protection cannot be sufficiently modeled. CurrentFEMA modeling techniques allow us to more precisely reflect the level of flood protection ofsuch structures. When American jobs are at risk, FEMA should use the methods readilyavailable to it rather than settle for an all-or-nothing approach, thus shifting the financial burdenfrom the federal government to local governments and their citizens.For these reasons, we request that you prohibit the use of such all-or-nothing modelingapproaches when a community notifies you that it believes that it is negatively affected by

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

8/4/2019 Letter to FEMA From Us Representatives

2/5

"without levees" modeling. Even with such a prohibition in place, we are hopeful that FEMAwill continue to use simpler, more cost-effective techniques when no community is harmed.Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have anyquestions about this request.

Pete OlsonMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Steve ScaliseMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Sincerely,

10 arsonM BER OF CONGRESS

J . - - ~ ~ ~Denny RehbergMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Bennie ThompsonMEMBER OF CONG

8/4/2019 Letter to FEMA From Us Representatives

3/5

~ ~ ~ ~an BurtonMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Chal'l Boustany .,MEMBER OF CONGRESS

@ EMBER OF CONGRESS And(---MEMBER OF CONGRESSRick CrawfordMEMBER OF CONGRESS

~ f ( ~anny avisMEMB R OF CONGRESS ~ ~ EmersonBEROF CONGRESS~ ene GreenMEMBER OF CONGRESS

0tIt h b ~ , A .Gregg ~ MEMBER OF CONGRESSartin HeinrichMEMBER OF CONGRESS

~ ~ ~ ~Sam John&mMEMBER OF CONGRESS

8/4/2019 Letter to FEMA From Us Representatives

4/5

JeM

D & i n s ~ 'MEMBER OF CONGRESS

~ f f v f l d ' ~Howard "Buck" McKeonMEMBER OF CONGRESS

'-~ EMBER OF CONGRESS~ e EMBER OF CONGRESS

teven PalazzoMEMBER OF CONGRESS

ike RossMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Cedric RichmondMEMBER OF CONGRESSEMBER OF CONGRESS

Harold RogersMEMBER OF CONG

Lynn WestmorelandMEMBER OF CONGRESS

eter Visc kyMEMBER OF CONGRESS

a t / ' & ' ~Ed WhitfieldMEMBER OF CONGRESS

8/4/2019 Letter to FEMA From Us Representatives

5/5

Sam GravesMEMBER OF CONGRESS

Collin PetersonMEMBER OF CONGRESS

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

~ EMBER OF CONGRESS