Chairs: Carol Friedland, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz, Monica Farris

 Date and time: Thursday, May 07 at 9:00am to Thursday, May 07 at 12:00pm

 location: 201D

 Description: The FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and rewards communities for implementing floodplain management practices that go beyond the minimum National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. By reducing flood insurance premiums for residents, CRS not only offers direct economic benefits but also strengthens long-term community resilience to flooding and coastal hazards.

In the Gulf Coast, where flood risks are amplified by sea-level rise, subsidence, and increasingly severe storms, CRS participation presents an opportunity to merge science, policy, and community action. Yet many communities face challenges in fully leveraging the program, ranging from limited staff capacity to the complexity of CRS requirements and the need to effectively communicate its benefits to decision-makers and the public.

This session will convene local officials, floodplain managers, scientists, planners, emergency managers, and community leaders to exchange practical strategies for advancing CRS participation and class ratings. Topics will include:

Communicating CRS benefits in ways that resonate with elected officials, residents, and businesses. Using hazard modeling, GIS mapping, and climate projections to inform CRS activities and improve documentation. Building cross-sector partnerships to meet CRS objectives and share the workload. Success stories from Gulf Coast communities that have improved their CRS class and reduced resident flood insurance costs. Identifying training, resources, and peer-to-peer support opportunities to sustain and grow CRS engagement. Through panel presentations, case studies, and facilitated discussion, participants will share real-world lessons, identify gaps in knowledge or resources, and explore collaborative solutions. The session will actively promote integration of scientific data into community engagement strategies, aligning with the 2026 GulfCon focus on stakeholder collaboration and decision-making support.

Expected outcomes include a shared toolkit of communication strategies, a regional network of CRS practitioners, and concrete action steps to enhance flood resilience across Gulf Coast communities.

Thursday, May 7, 2026
Development of a Community Well-Being Index for Data-Driven Assessment and Strategic Planning in Louisiana7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
High-Resolution Extreme Heat-Hazard (Extreme heat, Drought, and Wildfire) Projections for Louisiana Using Dynamical Downscaling Under Future Emissions7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Using coastal flood risk & rising seas web tools plus site-specific flood visuals & FFE data to earn CRS credit9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Strengthening CRS Implementation Through CRS Users Groups9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
Communicating CRS and Flood Risk Through Agentic AI: A New Paradigm of Community Engagement and Decision Support9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
ASCE 24-24 Elevation Requirements: Transitioning From Freeboard to Risk-Based Design9:45 AM - 10:00 AM
CANCELED TALK Developing Methods to Link Flood Risk to Fiscal Impacts to Build Local Planning and Decision Making Capacity10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
From Wind-Loss Points to Community Partnerships: Mapping Social Inequalities in Hurricane Wind Damage Across Coastal Louisiana10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
CANCELED TALK Louisiana parishes with highest and lowest household damage sensitivity to marginal flood-depth changes10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
CANCELED TALK Incorporating Average Annual Loss (AAL) into Hedonic Pricing Models to Evaluate Flood Risk Impacts on Housing Prices in the Gulf Coast11:00 AM - 11:15 AM