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The National Flood Insurance Program is administered by FEMA, who is the entity charged with determining rates (premiums) for individual flood insurance policies. Historically, FEMA has developed rates based predominantly on Flood Insurance Map Rate (FIRM) zones and base flood elevation. However, FEMA has announced that it intends to rehaul its methodology for determining individual flood insurance rates through a program called Risk Rating 2.0.

FEMA has indicated that Risk Rating 2.0 will be implemented in 2020, with new premiums going into effect by October 2020. However, at this time, the actual components of Risk Rating 2.0 remain unknown. Initial announcements on Risk Rating 2.0 indicate that FEMA will take into consideration (among other factors) distance from potential flood source and cost to rebuild. If sufficient consideration is not given for the quality of flood protection afforded by local levee systems (such as the one protecting LID 15), individual homeowner flood insurance premiums within areas, such as LID 15, could increase due to Risk Rating 2.0.

LID 15, together with Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken DeMerchant, support efforts to require FEMA to provide transparency and opportunity for stakeholder input in developing Risk Rating 2.0 prior to its adoption and implementation. As an interested member of the community, if you would like to support this effort, you may sign the Commissioner’s petition (with a copy of his letter to Congress) at this link:

FEMA Risk Rating 2.0

For more information:

• Risk Rating 2.0 Overview – May 2019
• Risk Rating 2.0 FAQs – May 2019
• NFIP Transformation and Risk Rating 2.0

Residents of Levee Improvement District 15 (LID 15) may have noticed downed trees and limbs in the Riverstone area following the storms of April and May. The Directors of LID 15 have been working with Yellowstone Landscape to have these removed. Much of the debris has been cleared, but many more have fallen due to heavy rainfall and frequent thunderstorms.

Some locations require careful maneuvering of heavy machinery near homes, and residents are asked to stay clear of crews as they work to remove down trees in these ‘hard to reach places.’

There have also been delays in clean up near the Alcorn Bayou and Steep Bank Creek areas due to permitting issues in protected wetland areas that are governed by US Army Corps of Engineers regulations. Fort Bend LID 15 board of directors appreciates your patience.

If you have an area of concern, please send a note to the LID 15 website. Please make sure you include the closest street address to the problem so we can compare the location to the list Yellowstone is working down.

With the oncoming storm, we wanted to provide a brief update. Currently, we have full gravity flow in all areas of Riverstone (LID 15 & LID 19). We have no reported concerns with any of our available pumps (one is in the process of being repaired). The stations and the supplemental pumps (if needed) are operational if pumping is required.

With all storms in our region, there is a likelihood of heavy rains that have the potential to overwhelm the storm drains. If this happens street ponding may occur. Please drive safely and be aware of this possibility.

Should the circumstances change, we will alert everyone on the website, facebook page (LID 15), and through emails and text messages. If you have not already done so, you can sign up for district alerts here.