Home Flood Protection Assistance Program; enables a locality to establish by ordinance.

Plain English Breakdown

The effectiveness of temporary flood exclusion tools compared to permanent solutions remains uncertain, but this is not addressed in the bill.

Home Flood Protection Assistance Program

This bill allows localities in Virginia to create a program that provides financial assistance up to $3,000 for homeowners to install temporary flood protection devices after completing stormwater programs or floodplain reviews.

What This Bill Does

• Allows local governments to establish by ordinance a Home Flood Protection Assistance Program to provide financial help to households for installing temporary home flood exclusion tools at vulnerable entry points.
• Limits the financial assistance provided by the program to $3,000 per household and requires households to complete stormwater extension programs or floodplain reviews before receiving funds.
• Requires verification from a state department that no further feasible passive or structural flood mitigation measures remain before providing financial assistance.
• Directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish uniform product performance verification standards for home flood exclusion tools eligible for funding.

Who It Names or Affects

• Localities in Virginia
• Homeowners who live in areas prone to flooding

Terms To Know

Stormwater extension program

A local program that helps homeowners mitigate flooding on private property outside the right-of-way and not within the scope of authority of a local department of public works.

Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund

A fund used by localities to support programs like the Home Flood Protection Assistance Program.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify which localities will actually create such a program.
• It is unclear how many households will qualify for assistance under this program.

Official Summary Text

Localities; Home Flood Protection Assistance Program.
Enables a locality to establish by ordinance a Home Flood Protection Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to households to install temporary home flood exclusion tools at vulnerable entry points. Such financial assistance is limited to $3,000 per household and shall only be granted after a household has (i) completed a stormwater extension program, as defined in the bill, or local floodplain review, including an on-site assessment by the locality; (ii) completed all required or recommended passive or structural flood mitigation measures; and (iii) received verification from the locality that no further feasible passive or structural flood mitigation measures remain. The bill provides that a locality may utilize funds from the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund in administering a Program and directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish and maintain uniform product performance verification standards for home flood exclusion tools that will be the only such tools eligible for funds from a Program. The bill also provides that a locality establishing a Program may partner with locality-authorized nonprofit resilience organizations to assist in identifying households eligible for such Program, installing temporary home flood exclusion tools, training households on the proper deployment of such tools, and tracking the performance and effectiveness of such tools.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
15.2-984.1
, relating to localities; Home Flood Protection Assistance Program.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
15.2-984.1
as follows:

§
15.2-984.1
. Home Flood Protection Assistance Program.

A. For the purposes of this section:

"Department" means the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

"Program
" means
a
Home Flood Protection Assistance Program
established pursuant to subsection B
.

"Stormwater extension program" means a program operated by a locality designed to empower ho
usehold
s with the tools, knowledge, and skills to mitigate flooding on
private property that is (i) outside of the right
-
of
-
way and (ii)
not within the

scope
of authority
of a
local

department of
public works
.

B. A locality may by ordinance establish a Home Flood Protection Assistance Program
to provide financial assistance to ho
usehold
s
to install temporary home flood exclusion
tools
at vulnerable entry points
.
Such financial assistance
shall be limited to no more than $3,000 per household

and
may
be
provided
in the form of advanced payment or reimbursement of costs.
A h
ousehold
shall only be eligible to receive funds from
a
Program after such ho
usehold
has (i) completed a
stormwater extension program or local floodplain review, including an on-site assessment by the locality; (ii) completed all required or recommended passive or structural flood mitigation measures, including drainage improvements,
minor property
regr
a
ding, cleaning
of ditches, installation of French drains, and downspout reconfiguration; and (iii) received verification from the locality that no further feasible passive or structural flood mitigation measures remain.
A locality
may utilize
funds from the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund established in

§
10.1-603.2
9
in administering a Program.

C.
The Dep
artmen
t
shall establish and maintain uniform product
performance

verification
standards for home flood exclusion tools
to ensure safety, durability, and proper deployment of such tools
. A Program shall
provide financial assistance to households
only
for
temporary
home flood exclusion tools so
verifi
ed by the Department, including modular door barriers, temporary flood dams, water-inflated or self-activating barriers, garage-
entry flood shields, portable sump pump systems with barriers, and similar protective tools.

Such tools shall not include any permanent structural
flood proofing
tools
that would
necessitate Federal Emergency Management Agency flood proofing certification requirements.

D. A locality establishing a Program pursuant to this section may partner with locality-authorized
nonprofit resilience organizations to assist in identifying households eligible for such Program, installing temporary home flood exclusio
n tools verified by the Department pursuant to subsection C, training households on the proper deployment of such tools
, and tracking the performance
and effectiveness
of such tools
.