Public Works Preparing 2025 Repetitive Loss Area Analysis

Published on April 15, 2025

The City of Arlington Department of Public Works is preparing the 2025 Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA) as part of their participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). This program provides residents and property owners a discount on flood insurance based on the City’s floodplain management activities. The City prepares a new RLAA every 5 years as a required CRS activity to evaluate properties with repetitive flood losses. This report focuses on properties that meet one of the following definitions.

• A Repetitive Loss Property (RL) is any insurable building in which two or more claims of more than $1,000 have been paid by the NFIP during any rolling 10-year period since 1978.
• A Severe Repetitive Loss Property (SRL) has four or more claims of at least $5,000, or at least two claims that cumulatively exceed the structure’s reported value.

The RLAA follows a 5-step process to evaluate flood insurance policy and claims data to develop strategies that can reduce future flood insurance claims in each RL/SRL area. Insurance data is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Once this information is reviewed, City staff analyzes each area to identify flooding sources, potential causes, severity of past flooding, and extents of potential damage around flooded properties.

Flooding in Arlington is not limited to Special Flood Hazard Areas (floodplains), and may occur from difference sources such as:

• Localized flooding which can occur in any area of the City and is often caused by issues such as poor lot grading, inadequate drainage infrastructure, or blocked storm drainage ways.
• Flash flooding happens when heavy or excessive rain falls over low-lying areas in a relatively short period, generally under 6 hours.
• Riverine flooding occurs when bodies of water such as rivers, streams, or ponds overflow their banks due to heavy and prolonged rainfall over a watershed.

Additional information about RL/SRL areas is collected from questionnaires sent to targeted property areas, review of tax records, City grading and drainage record drawings, building permit records, and historic flooding information. The RLAA complies with the Privacy Act of 1974 and does not provide information that can identify individual properties with flood losses.

A draft copy of the 2025 RLAA report is available on the City’s website for public review at www.arlingtontx.gov/RLAA. Property owners, residents, and tenants can send questions or comments on the draft RLAA report to RLAA@arlingtontx.gov or contact the Department of Public Works at 817-459-6550. Feedback is requested by May 16, 2025 so the report can be finalized by City staff and submitted to City Council for approval this summer.