Knox County Stormwater & FEMA

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How does the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relate to Knox County flooding?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency that coordinates pre- and post- disaster management for communities around the United States. FEMA’s Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) works with communities around the nation to assess their risk for natural disasters and to help them prepare for potential emergencies relating to these natural disasters. Knox County works closely with both FEMA, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Knoxville – Knox County Emergency Management Agency in pre- and post-disaster emergency preparedness.

Knox County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS)

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has a Community Rating System (CRS) that Knox County chooses to participate in. This system rates communities on their potential for future flooding. The rating scale is from 1-10; communities with a rating of 1 being the most prepared for flooding situations and those with a rating of 10 being the least prepared for future flooding. Homeowners’ Insurance rates may be discounted for constituents of communities with low CRS scores.  The lower a community’s CRS score, the deeper the discounts that local landowners will see on their Homeowners insurance rates. Participating in this program also reduces the repetitive losses of land due to flooding in Knox County. By participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA)’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Knox County has a Community Rating Score of 9, which means that Knox County citizens are eligible for a discount on their flood insurance rates.