The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a report which examines the impact, effectiveness, and feasibility of including building codes in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
According to FEMA, I-codes, a collective term for all building codes, contain flood provisions that are consistent with NFIP requirements for buildings. I-codes are also proven to be effective against protecting facilities from flood-related damage. For those that have already adopted appropriate building codes, the impact of including I-codes into the NFIP would be minor.
The report outlines one of the most significant benefits from code compliance – required added elevation above flood levels for locations in certain locations, such as Coast A Zones. Other benefits include a possibly lower insurance premium and reduced flood damage.
The full report can be found at FEMA’s website.
