Conflicting federal policies may cost residents more on flood insurance, and leave them at risk

The problem stems from a complex set of flood policies and some national security precautions taken after the September 11, 2001 , terror attacks.

To get the best discount on flood insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s points-based rating system requires communities to chart all the homes, businesses and critical facilities endangered by a potential dam failure and warn people of their risk.

Other federal agencies restrict the release of such information for hundreds of dams that they own or regulate across the U.S ..

FEMA 's National Flood Insurance Program is available in 22,692 communities that have adopted and enforced floodplain management regulations.

As of the end of July , it provided $1.3 trillion of flood insurance coverage to about 4.7 million policyholders.

Premium discounts ranging from 5% to 45% are available in jurisdictions that participate in FEMA 's Community Rating System .

FEMA says it is important for communities to have access to dam-failure inundation maps.

Thurston County , Washington , spends almost $200,000 a year to maintain its Class 2 rating in the flood insurance program.

Yet the city failed to get a Class 1 ranking because it didn’t meet criteria about potential dam failures or promoting flood insurance.

The area has about 20 high-hazard dams that could result in loss of life if they failed.