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As of October 2015, the Town of East Fishkill is a participant in the Community Rating System (CRS).
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed the Federal minimum requirements of the NFIP to provide protection from flooding.
In exchange for a community’s proactive efforts to reduce flood risk, policyholders can receive reduced flood insurance premiums for buildings in the community. These reduced premiums reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community efforts toward achieving the three CRS goals:
Under the CRS, communities are rewarded for doing more than simply regulating the construction of new buildings to the minimum national standards. Under the CRS, the flood insurance premiums of a community’s residents and businesses are discounted to reflect that community’s work to reduce flood damage to existing buildings, manage development in areas not mapped by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), protect new buildings beyond the minimum NFIP protection level, preserve and/or restore natural functions of floodplains, help insurance agents obtain flood data, and help people obtain flood insurance.
Homeowner’s insurance policies will NOT cover losses due to flooding. Almost every residence or business within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) requires flood insurance sold through most insurance companies.
New policies do not cover your property immediately! There is a five-day waiting period before a flood insurance policy takes effect. Don’t call your insurance company today if the storm is expected tomorrow…it will be too late!
East Fishkill entered the CRS as a Class 8 community. As a Class 8 community, flood insurance policyholders will receive a 10% discount on their flood insurance premium. If they are outside the SFHA and have flood insurance, they will receive a 5% discount.
If a resident has a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP), they will not receive a discount because PRP policies are already discounted.
For more information on flood insurance discounts, contact your Insurance Agent. If you have questions about the CRS, contact the Building Department. For more information on FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) Community Rating System (CRS), see the link under Resources to the right.
The Town of East Fishkill Building Department is available to provide technical assistance regarding flood protection and hazard reduction to property owners, contractors, lenders, realtors, insurers, and other interested citizens. This assistance includes: providing historical information (if available), current FEMA/FIRM data, a review of construction and renovation plans, and site visits to recommend appropriate protection measures. For more information, contact the following:
East Fishkill Building Department
East Fishkill Town Hall
NYS Route 376
Hopewell Junction, New York 12533
(845) 221-2427 (voice) (845) 227-4018 (fax)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Is your house in a Flood Zone?? Find out on Dutchess County’s ParcelAccess. Find your property, and click “Flood Areas” in the upper right-hand corner to turn the layer on.
Check out the Flood Awareness Facts for East Fishkill
Also, see the Town’s Environmental Downloads page for information on flooding and protecting your home.
If your home has been flooded multiple times, and you’ve filed multiple insurance claims, your property is probably considered a Repetitive Loss Property by FEMA. There may be help for you.
FEMA, when funded by Congress, opens a Grant Program to acquire properties or elevate affected homes. This is a “final” solution for severely affected properties.
The Town acts as the Applicant to FEMA for the homeowner. An intense review of the property is performed by FEMA, reviewing insurance claims, flooding events, property location, etc. If the application is approved, the acquisition or elevation process begins. The Grant generally opens for applications at the end of September and closes at the end of February.
Click here for a Notice of Voluntary Interest form to return to the Town.
There are absolutely no obligations. Homeowners can back out at any time in the process with no repercussions.
Document Downloads:
Why Do I Need Flood Insurance?
For more information on Flooding visit the New York State Department of Conservation’s Dam Safety, Coastal & Flood Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Ready” program’s Flood and FEMA’s Floodsmart.gov web pages.
Additional flooding information can be found on FEMA’s web page for Property Owners
You can also find some of these FEMA documents, and more, at the East Fishkill Community Library.
Is your house in a flood zone?
You can get more information on Dutchess County’s GIS Parcel Access or from the Town’s Building Department.
You can find information on Financial Assistance Programs here:
330 Route 376
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
Main Number: 845-221-9191
Hours: Open Mondays through Fridays 8:00am to 4:00pm