LEWISTOWN — Representatives of the National Flood Insurance Program shared information about annual floodplain management reports at the Thursday, Mifflin County Planning Commission meeting.

Program Specialist Cody Hoffman and State Coordinator Ken Roberts urged municipalities to evaluate their properties to determine whether they are in danger of being in a floodplain.

“If so, the National Flood Insurance Program is something very important to have,” said Hoffman.

The National Flood Insurance Program provides insurance to property owners and encourages communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations.

According to Hoffman, all flood-prone municipalities must submit an annual floodplain management report.

However, it was noted that Armagh Township and the boroughs of Kistler, McVeytown and Newton Hamilton in Mifflin County did not submit reports.

These four municipalities must complete the community self-assessment form, schedule their community assistance contact and attend their community assistance conference, according to Hoffman.

In the event of a flood, the program’s policy covers direct physical losses to your structure and belongings, Hoffman said.

The program offers two types of coverage: building coverage and contents coverage.

There are many factors that determine what is covered, such as where you live, the type of house you live in, the age of your home, and how it is built and arranged.

Hoffman shared that there is a community rating system that is a voluntary program that people can join, which makes flood insurance cheaper in their community.

Local municipalities can join the National Flood Insurance Program so that property owners, renters and businesses in those communities can access affordable flood insurance.

Property owners who live in communities that don’t participate in the program are unable to purchase flood insurance through it. Communities that don’t participate might not be eligible for hazard mitigation funds, grants, or loans, Hoffman said.

Insurance program representatives aimed to discuss their roles under the National Flood Insurance Program and to provide a fundamental understanding of floodplain regulations and the purpose of compliance visits.

The mandatory compliance visits are for 15 of the 16 municipalities that are active participants in the insurance program. The only municipality that is not an active participant is Juniata Terrace Borough, because they have no floodplains within its jurisdictional boundaries.

“The overarching goal is to minimize the risk of repetitive loss to structures within the floodplain and to provide education and support to those municipalities who participate in the (National Flood Insurance Program), by allowing discounts in insurance premiums through participation in the community rating system,” said Planning Director James Lettiere.

The community rating system allows municipalities to receive reductions for homeowners’ insurance premiums by taking measures to minimize flooding, reducing the risk of loss by building above the base flood elevation and encouraging property owners who experience repetitive loss to their homes to consider alternative housing locations outside the floodplain.

Training on floodplain reporting is available virtually and in person per request to the National Flood Insurance Program.