Flood Ready Homes Program

How it works

The Flood Ready Homes Program is a City of Newport News initiative supported by the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund. It is designed to evaluate flood risk and identify effective mitigation options for homeowners in vulnerable areas.

The page describes a multi-step process:

• Outreach and enrollment: The City identifies eligible homeowners, conducts community outreach, and begins receiving requests to participate.
• Home assessments: Staff conduct on-site evaluations of flood risk and structural vulnerabilities.
• Mitigation planning: The City develops customized, cost-effective mitigation recommendations for each home.
• Reporting and next steps: Homeowners receive Elevation Certificates and individualized reports, and findings are used in future City resilience planning.

What participants receive

Participating households receive:

• A no-cost resilience assessment
• A customized report outlining recommended strategies to reduce future flood damage and improve long-term community resilience
• An Elevation Certificate documenting the structure’s elevation relative to the FEMA-mapped Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
• A customized list of cost-effective flood mitigation measures to protect inhabitants, property, and the nearby environment

What the money covers

This program does not provide a direct grant, rebate, or reimbursement to homeowners. Instead, it provides free technical assistance and documents intended to help homeowners understand flood risk and plan mitigation measures.

Timing and deadlines

The page does not list a closing date, application deadline, or funding cap. It says the study is intended to prepare the City to seek funding resources for an expanded program in the future.