The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) was issued in January 2015 to encourage federal agencies to consider current and future risk when taxpayer dollars are used to build or rebuild near floodplains.

Executive Order 13690, which established FFRMS, was an expansion of EO 11988 – Floodplain Management of 1977, which required federal agencies to consider whether their actions would affect the local floodplain. FFRMS calls for agencies to use higher flood elevation and expanded flood hazard area than previous standards to ensure that climate change and other current and future risks are considered in agency decision-making.

TCG supported Dewberry and FEMA in developing guidance and new training on the implementation of EO 13690 to assist FEMA staff in understanding and meeting new requirements for FEMA-funded projects including tips and advice on FFRMS and related concepts, resources that provide additional information, and case studies of FEMA projects to help illustrate how FFRMS and related concepts are used in the field.

Our support also included facilitation of E0 11988 Working Group meetings with participants from the FEMA Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (OEHP), regional and program offices, and the Office of Chief Counsel and creating scenario-based training modules and materials for agency staff to implement policy and guidance.