FEMA’s Community Rating System Program experienced a disruption in services from April 1 through May 12, 2024. FEMA was only able to provide basic and limited CRS information during this interruption. Services resumed on May 13. The interruption in services has been resolved.
Please see the following frequently asked questions for work status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Community-Level Program Management
Question: With the interruption in place for six weeks, does this mean communities should have also discontinued implementing their Community Rating System Program during that same period?
Answer: No. CRS communities should have continued to implement their CRS Program and carry out their CRS activities, internal coordination across community departments and record keeping and document preparation in accordance with the CRS Coordinators Manual. FEMA’s CRS Program continued to function, and FEMA staff was available for limited technical assistance.
Scheduled Meetings and Events from April 1 through May 12, 2024.
Question: What was the impact of the six-week interruption on meetings and events scheduled by FEMA and/or the CRS contractor during this six-week period?
Answer: All meetings and events that were planned during the interruption were cancelled. Meetings with communities will be rescheduled later. Communities are being contacted individually to reestablish coordination and determine new deadlines.
Deadlines to Submit Community Rating System Documents
Question: Communities have been given deadlines when certain documents must be submitted related to completing CRS cycle visits and annual recertifications. Are communities still accountable to submit materials by these deadlines? If so, where should documents be sent?
Answer: All deadlines provided to communities, such as deadlines to submit documentation to complete a Community Rating System cycle visit and deadlines related to completing the annual recertifications, were postponed. Communities are being contacted individually to reestablish coordination and determine new deadlines.
CRS communities will not be penalized for missing any deadlines described in the CRS Coordinator’s Manual which fell during the interruption of services.
Community Rating System Class Improvement Impacts
Question: Many communities have worked to complete CRS cycle verifications and are expecting to advance in a Community Rating System class. Will that still occur?
Answer: Any CRS Class changes to take effect Oct. 1, 2024, have already been processed and were not impacted by the delays.
CRS community verification or modifications reviews that may be reflected in CRS class changes expected to take effect April 1, 2025, may be impacted. If you intended to pursue a class improvement and your CRS work was in process during the pause in services, please let your FEMA CRS contractor staff know to prioritize this need.