44 CFR § 59.3 - Emergency program.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t44/s59.3"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "44 CFR § 59.3 - Emergency program."
title_number: 44
title_name: "Emergency Management and Assistance"
section_number: "59.3"
section_name: "Emergency program."
chapter_name: "FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "B"
subchapter_name: "INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION"
part_number: "59"
part_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "42 U.S.C. 4001  6 U.S.C. 101"
cfr_part: "59"
---


# 59.3 Emergency program.

The 1968 Act required a risk study to be undertaken for each community before it could become eligible for the sale of flood insurance. Since this requirement resulted in a delay in providing insurance, the Congress, in section 408 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-152, December 24, 1969), established an Emergency Flood Insurance Program as a new section 1336 of the National Flood Insurance Act (42 U.S.C. 4056) to permit the early sale of insurance in flood-prone communities. The emergency program does not affect the requirement that a community must adopt adequate flood plain management regulations pursuant to part 60 of this subchapter but permits insurance to be sold before a study is conducted to determine risk premium rates for the community. The program still requires upon the effective date of a FIRM the charging of risk premium rates for all new construction and substantial improvements and for higher limits of coverage for existing structures.

[43 FR 7140, Feb. 17, 1978. Redesignated at 44 FR 31177, May 31, 1979, and amended at 48 FR 44543, Sept. 29, 1983]