Can public information alone move our community up a class?

Usually not on its own. Activities 330 and 350 together are worth at most 475 points, and each class is 500 points. They help most when your community is already close to its next class.

Will the flood protection pages live on your site or ours?

On your community's website. Activity 350 credits flood protection information provided through the community's own website, so we write the pages for your site and your staff publishes them.

How much does it cost?

It depends on what your community already gets credit for. We quote after reading your latest verification report or recertification, so you only pay for points you don't have yet.

Does this replace our CRS coordinator?

No. Your coordinator still submits recertification and works with FEMA's contractor. We prepare the materials and documentation they need.

CRS public information help for communities

Earn CRS points toward your next class: Activity 330 outreach projects + Activity 350 flood protection website, done for you. We design, write and document the public information work, and your community keeps the credit. We never promise a class change: FEMA decides credit at verification.

The National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS) lowers flood insurance premiums in communities that do more than the NFIP minimum. Public information is one of the four kinds of activity it credits, and it is the kind a small staff can most easily hand off. That is the work we do.

How CRS classes work

Class	Credit points	Premium discount
9	500-999	5%
8	1,000-1,499	10%
7	1,500-1,999	15%
6	2,000-2,499	20%
5	2,500-2,999	25%

Classes run from 10 (no discount) to 1 (45%). Each class is 500 points and 5%. Source: FEMA, Community Rating System.

The discount usually applies to every NFIP policy in a CRS community. The exceptions include policies already limited by rate caps and buildings with floodplain violations. Source: FEMA CRS Discount FAQ, September 2024.
Class changes take effect in April and October. Source: the same FAQ.
Moving into Class 8, 6, 4 or 1 also requires that class's prerequisites, not only points. Source: FEMA CRS Coordinator's Manual, 2025, Sections 110 and 211.

What Activities 330 and 350 are worth

Activity	Maximum points	Average credited	Communities credited
330 Outreach Projects	350	122	98%
350 Flood Protection Information	125	51	94%

Source: FEMA CRS Coordinator's Manual, 2025, Section 110 and the Activity 330 and 350 summaries.

Almost every CRS community gets some credit for these activities, but the average is well below the maximum. The points usually left on the table are:

Program for Public Information (PPI): up to 80 points added to outreach projects, up to 20 added to flood response preparations, and 28 more for a website that is part of the program.
Stakeholder delivery: up to 50 points when people or groups outside local government help deliver the messages.
Flood response preparations: up to 50 points for a public information plan that is ready before the next flood.
Flood protection website: up to 77 points (105 with a PPI) for flood protection information on the community's website, including links to real-time gage data where it exists.

What we deliver

A Program for Public Information write-up with your committee: who you need to reach, what to tell them, and which outreach projects carry each message.
Outreach projects, ready to run: mailers, newsletter pieces, website notices and flood-season reminders, with the records CRS asks you to keep.
Flood protection pages for your website that match your outreach messages, link real-time gages for your area, and follow the Activity 350 credit criteria.
A documentation pack for your CRS coordinator, for annual recertification and your next cycle verification visit.

What we never promise

A class change. FEMA's contractor verifies credit, and public information alone usually cannot cover a full 500-point class.
A number of points. We tell you what each element is worth under the Coordinator's Manual and what your records support. The verification visit decides.
FloodProtection.now is not FEMA, a state agency or an insurance company.

Who we are

FloodProtection.now publishes free, source-backed flood protection guides. It is run by Neural Command, LLC. The research and writing that goes into those guides is the same work a CRS public information program needs.

Talk to us

Tell us your community and your current class. We will reply within one business day from [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

Can public information alone move our community up a class?: Usually not on its own. Activities 330 and 350 together are worth at most 475 points, and each class is 500 points. They help most when your community is already close to its next class.
Will the flood protection pages live on your site or ours?: On your community's website. Activity 350 credits flood protection information provided through the community's own website, so we write the pages for your site and your staff publishes them.
How much does it cost?: It depends on what your community already gets credit for. We quote after reading your latest verification report or recertification, so you only pay for points you don't have yet.
Does this replace our CRS coordinator?: No. Your coordinator still submits recertification and works with FEMA's contractor. We prepare the materials and documentation they need.