WASINGTONPam Pogue, Chair of the Association of Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM), today at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee will endorse legislation introduced by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) last November. The National Wildlife Association will also endorse the legislation.Reeds legislation would improve the maps the federal government uses to predict the risk of flooding to residents of coastal areas.In her testimony before the Committee, Pogue stated that the ASFPM understands the need to better understand the additional areas subject to flood risk. She continued, ASFPM strongly recommends that the nation embark as soon as possible on a program to identify these risks. We support Senator Reeds bill, S. 2005, calling for mapping 500 year floodplain, .Reed stated, The federal government needs to provide Americans with the most accurate data that reflects coastal flooding hazards from hurricanes and other natural events. Currently, federal coastal flood maps do not reflect the real flood hazard risks. Over 70 percent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency maps are over ten years old. In the case of Rhode Island, the maps are over 20 years old. New development has altered watersheds and floodplains.Reeds legislation, the National Flood Mapping Act of 2005, would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update maps to include:"The 500-year floodplain;"Areas that could be inundated as a result of the failure of a levee or dam;"Areas that could be inundated by a coastal storm surge from a hurricane; and"Description of hazards that might impact flooding, for example, ice jams and mud flows.The legislation requires that FEMA work with local and state partners to ensure that maps are adequate to make flood risk determinations and useful in their effort to provide for development to reduce the risk of flooding.The legislation also includes a provision for mapping areas inundated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to provide guidance for hurricane recovery efforts and as a model for mapping coastal inundation. The bill authorizes $400 million for FEMA flood mapping for each year from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2012.It also provides $9 million for Army Corps to update their coastal inundation map.Between 1980 and 1993, insured residential and commercial coastal property in Rhode Island grew in value by 153 percent from $33 billion to $83 billion. This new development and its affects on floodplains are not accurately reflected in FEMA coastal flood maps. In addition, these maps do not include information on coastal flooding reflected in the Army Corps of Engineers flood maps. This is important information needed by the public to assess their risks. The National Flood Insurance Program was created to minimize the damage and financial impact of floods with the public by making coastal flood insurance available on reasonable terms and encouraging its purchase. But, according to the Center on Federal Financial Institutions, participation rates in flood-prone areas appear to be well below 40 percent. In a floodplain, a homeowner is more likely to have a flood than a fire. Yet, all homeowners have fire insurance.Reed stated, It is important that we learn lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. At the national, state, and local levels we must evaluate how we plan, mitigate, and respond to natural hazards. Hurricanes and floods have occurred throughout history and will continue to occur. We must make sure we are not ignoring natural hazards while we try to protect Americans from human-caused disasters and acts of terrorism.Examples of the discrepancy between FEMA flood maps and the Army Corps of Engineers analysis of potential flood danger can be found on Reeds internet site at: http://reed.senate.gov/news/flood/