44 CFR 59.3: Emergency program.

The 1968 Act required a risk study to be undertaken for each community before it could become eligible for the sale of flood insurance. Since this requirement resulted in a delay in providing insurance, the Congress, in section 408 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-152, December 24, 1969), established an Emergency Flood Insurance Program as a new section 1336 of the National Flood Insurance Act (42 U.S.C. 4056) to permit the early sale of insurance in flood-prone communities. The emergency program does not affect the requirement that a community must adopt adequate flood plain management regulations pursuant to part 60 of this subchapter but permits insurance to be sold before a study is conducted to determine risk premium rates for the community. The program still requires upon the effective date of a FIRM the charging of risk premium rates for all new construction and substantial improvements and for higher limits of coverage for existing structures.