FLOOD04694

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: The Region VIII Cape Study - A Guide for Staff Performing Community Assistance and Performance Evaluation Visits
• Date: 9/1/1984
• Prepared For: Region VIII
• Prepared By: FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Historic FEMA Regulatory Floodplain Information

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CAPE REVIEWER's GUIDE

The CAPE Reviewer's Guide and Form

This guide is intended for those who have little or no
experience in performing CAPE's. It was compiled from a
survey of the most effective techniques used by FEMA Regional
Offices and States since the 1970's. Its purpose is to
explain to the CAPE Reviewer how to complete the CAPE
Reviewer's Form (CRF) and how to prepare the Final Report and
related correspondence. The CRF serves two purposes: first,
to ensure thorough preparation for the visit and complete
coverage of the issues when the visit takes place, and
second, it provides the reviewer with a record of the facts
and issues to be summarized in the Final Report.

Both the Guide and the CRF are arranged using a similar
format. In large part, the Final Report uses the same
outline. The CRF has l6 pages, much of which is left open
for recording information gathered during CAPE preparation
and the visit. The first page, a cover page, is followed by
eight checklists. These checklists are discussed both in
general terms, describing their content and role in the CAPE
process, and in a detailed item-by-item analysis showing how
they should be completed.

The CAPE Process

The CAPE reviewer has two responsibilities: to determine the
technical assistance needs of a community and to evaluate the
effectiveness of its implementation of the NFIP. This
requires the reviewer to find out whether community
officials, lenders and insurance agents understand what they
are required to do, know how to do it and are meeting their
responsibilities.

Although some technical assistance is almost always provided,
the CAPE's primary purpose is to identify these needs (and
enforcement problems) for later resolution, rather than to
solve them on-site. There generally isn't enough time to
both identify and meet these needs, All but the most
straightforward community needs should be listed in the
Report for follow-up action, e,g., hold a CSC agent's
workshop, send the local contact a sample ordinance, etc.
For the same reason, neither is the CAPE a training exercise.
Lenders and insurance agent meetings, for example, are held
during the CAPE only to determine whether these actors appear
to be adequately meeting their responsibilities and to gather
information as a check on some of the findings made during
the floodplain tour and local official's meeting. CAPE
reviewers are not required to train lenders and agents.