King County’s flood risk reduction program remains among the best in the nation for ensuring public safety and protecting natural floodplain functions that in turn provide deep discounts to flood insurance policyholders.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has verified King County’s Class 2 rating in the Community Rating System. This incentive-based program under the National Flood Insurance Program rewards communities for implementing strong floodplain management actions and regulations that exceed minimum federal standards.

“I commend you on your community actions and your determination to lead your community to be more disaster resistant,” said David L. Miller, Associate Administrator for the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine.

In 2007, King County became the first county in the nation to achieve a Class 2 rating, which results in flood insurance discounts of up to 40 percent under the National Flood Insurance Program. The average flood insurance policyholder saves more than $340 per year on their premiums as a result of the County’s Class 2 rating.

Earlier this year, Pierce County joined King County as a Class 2-rated county, and they remain as the only counties in the nation at that level. Tulsa, Okla., also has a Class 2 rating, while the City of Roseville, Calif., is the only local government in the nation with a Class 1 rating.

Every three years, King County is required to verify that it continues to implement the Community Rating System activities. The County must also provide an annual certification report as part of the program.

Several cities within King County, including Auburn, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kent, North Bend, Renton and Snoqualmie also participate in the program. More information about King County’s program is available at www.kingcounty.gov/floodservices.