Insurability & Community Development
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      1. InnSure Innovation Hub
      2. Insurability & Community Development

      What is InnSure's intake process for a community considering an insurability planning project?

      Community Flood Risk Demonstration Project Intake Process Example

       

      The following describes a typical intake process for a Flood risk-related pilot. 

      Initial Assessment Phase

      1. Target Population Identification

      • InnSure team conducts a preliminary meeting with community leadership to identify:
        • Primary stakeholders (residential homeowners, renters, businesses)
        • Geographical boundaries for the pilot area
        • Socioeconomic characteristics of the target population
        • Special considerations (historically underserved populations, environmental justice concerns)

      2. Hazard Assessment (flood example)

      • Document primary flood hazards affecting the community:
        • Coastal flooding and storm surge
        • Riverine flooding
        • Urban/flash flooding
        • Groundwater flooding
        • Combined sewer overflow risks
      • Identify historical flood events and their impacts
      • Review climate change projections for the region
      • Review existing and/or planed investments in risk reduction that are expected to impact the Total Cost of Risk in the future. 

      3. Data Availability Audit

      • Assess existing data sources:
        • FEMA flood hazard maps and Hazus data
        • Local/regional flood models 
        • Digital Elevation Models (DEM)
        • Building stock inventory 
        • Property values and assessment data
        • Historical flood claims data
        • Socioeconomic data
        • Insurance market penetration data

      Detailed Intake

      Once the initial assessment is complete, communities would work with the InnSure team to complete a structured intake with the following sections:

      Community Profile

      1. Community name and location
      2. Primary contact information
      3. Total population size
      4. Description of flood history and challenges
      5. Current flood mitigation efforts or projects

      Target Population Details

      1. Proposed pilot area boundaries (GIS data if available)
      2. Number of structures in pilot area
      3. Breakdown of property types:
        • Single-family residential
        • Multi-family residential
        • Commercial/industrial
        • Public/institutional
      4. Ownership profile:
        • Percentage of owner-occupied vs. rental properties
        • Average property values
        • Average household income
      5. Demographic information:
        • Age distribution
        • Income distribution
        • Special needs populations

      Flood Risk Profile

      1. Primary flood hazards (ranked by priority)
      2. Historical flood events (dates, impacts, damages)
      3. Current flood insurance coverage rates (NFIP and private)
      4. Average flood insurance premiums
      5. Existing flood mitigation infrastructure

      Data Resources Inventory

      1. Available GIS data layers
      2. Property assessment records
      3. Building characteristic data
      4. Historical flood damage data
      5. Existing flood models or studies
      6. Insurance market data
      7. Socioeconomic datasets

      Project Objectives

      1. Primary goals for the demonstration project
      2. Key metrics for success
      3. Capacity for community engagement
      4. Potential for home resilience audit participation
      5. Timeline considerations

      Community Engagement Plan

      As part of the intake process, communities would develop a preliminary engagement plan:

      1. Stakeholder mapping
        • Identify key stakeholders including municipal departments, community organizations, resident groups, and business associations
        • Document existing communication channels
      2. Outreach strategy
        • Proposed methods for recruiting pilot participants
        • Communication platforms and approaches
        • Language and accessibility considerations
      3. Educational components
        • Existing flood risk awareness programs
        • Proposed educational materials and approaches
        • Capacity for delivering home resilience audits
      4. Co-creation opportunities
        • Identification of local experts to participate in system design
        • Community feedback mechanisms

      Resource Assessment

      Finally, the intake process would include a resource assessment:

      1. Available financial resources
        • Local funding commitments
        • Grant opportunities
        • Public-private partnership potential
      2. Technical resources
        • GIS capabilities
        • Data management systems
        • Technical staff expertise
      3. Administrative resources
        • Project management capacity
        • Staffing availability
        • Meeting venues and equipment
      4. Timeline constraints
        • Budget cycles
        • Planning horizons
        • Seasonal considerations

      Selection Criteria

      Communities would be evaluated based on:

      1. Flood risk level and urgency
      2. Data availability and quality
      3. Community engagement capacity
      4. Local leadership commitment
      5. Potential for insurance market innovation
      6. Scalability and replicability of lessons learned
      7. Alignment with project objectives in a mutually agreed upon SOW

      This comprehensive intake process ensures that selected communities have both the need for flood risk modeling and the capacity to successfully implement and benefit from the pilot/demonstration project.