Credibility, Recognition & Political Support
Communities that participate in the CRS can see how their own programs stack up against those of other communities and against a national model. Informal, good-natured competitions sometimes arise among neighboring communities, spurring them to undertake more—and more effective—flood loss reduction activities and thereby earn more CRS credit. Many communities report that when they “step up” their floodplain management programs to join and stay in the CRS, an unanticipated benefit is a blossoming of awareness of and interest in flood-related matters on the part of both the public and elected officials.