Tulsa Maintains Class 2 Rating in National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System

9/20/2018

The City of Tulsa has maintained its Class 2 rating in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, a voluntary program in which communities that go beyond the minimum floodplain management requirements earn flood insurance discounts for residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security administers the program.

With Tulsa’s Class 2 rating, National Flood Insurance Program policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas are eligible for a 40-percent discount in premium costs. Residents in other areas of Tulsa can receive 10-percent discounts on standard rated flood insurance policies.

“Maintaining our Class 2 rating is a credit to the commitment and diligence of our Engineering Services, Streets and Stormwater, and Development Services departments for their efforts to constantly improve flood mitigation in our community,” said Mayor G.T. Bynum. “Tulsa residents have some of the lowest flood insurance rates in the nation because of this commitment to protect lives and reduce property damage.”

Tulsa is one of only six communities nationwide to achieve a Class 2 rating, out of more than 1,400 cities and counties that participate in the program. Only one city, Roseville, Calif., has achieved a Class 1 rating. Eighteen cities in Oklahoma participate in the program, with Ponca City’s Class 5 rating coming the closest to Tulsa’s. The scale ranges from Class 10, with no flood insurance discount, to Class 1, with a 45-percent discount in Special Flood Hazard Areas.

Activities in the Community Rating System are organized in four main categories: public information, mapping and regulation, flood damage reduction, and flood preparedness. City of Tulsa Engineering Services, Streets and Stormwater and Development Services departments work together to increase Tulsa’s safety from floods. Stormwater management, drainage system maintenance and floodplain development regulations all contribute to Tulsa’s Class 2 rating, which renews on Oct. 1, 2018, and stays in effect for a three-year cycle.

The City of Tulsa provides extensive information about flood protection and hazard mitigation on its website and including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program map – Map My House. Residents also can contact City of Tulsa floodplain managers for consultations by calling 311.