Flooding is becoming top of mind for homeowners this month as the damage from hurricanes that moved inland throughout the Southeast U.S. We talked to a flood map expert, Jim Nadeau, owner of Nadeau Land Surveys, to get a better handle on flood insurance, flood plan maps and strategies for mitigating flood damage. Floods are becoming more common, and most homeowners don’t realize that the chance of flooding over 30 years is 5 times higher than a house fire.
Are You in a Flood Plain?
Some Flood Plain Maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are being updated to account for new development and improved data from several sources. To locate the Flood Plain Map for your area, you can simply type in your address here. “If your home site is in a designated special flood hazard area, and you finance more than $5000 in federal-backed loans,” Nadeau said, “you are required to buy flood insurance according to FEMA.”
What is Flood Insurance?
Flood insurance is a policy separate from your typical homeowners’ insurance, which does not cover damage from a flood. FEMA has a useful insurance provider search tool that can identify carriers in your state. Flood insurance can be a big expense so it’s important to discuss ways your Katahdin Cedar Log Home’s features might discount your insurance costs. Many factors could change or mitigate your flood insurance price, including type of foundation and first floor height.
Can Flood Plain Maps be Amended?
What if a property is listed in a flood plain by error? Flood Plain Maps have limitations due to data. The result is that sometimes properties are placed in a flood plain when the elevation would otherwise exclude the location from the flood zone. Homeowners can apply for a Letter of Map Amendment using certified elevations of the property. This type of survey would document the height and contours of the land in relation to the base flood elevation for the area.
Nadeau offered some additional insights on Flood Plain Maps. “The first thing homeowners need to understand is there are ‘flood map risks’ and ‘real Mother Nature’ risks,” Nadeau said. “A flood plain map amendment can remove the requirement for flood insurance, but water will go where it needs to go.” As a result, it is essential that homeowners assess the risk from water from flooding but also from other issues like high water tables, which can create flooding if excess precipitation falls without adequate drainage.
Surveyors
If you should need to remedy a Flood Plain Map, be sure the surveyor you contact has a good understanding of the issues, recommended Nadeau. As new flood plain maps are distributed to towns and municipalities, surveying related to flood plain designations may increase in an already limited supply of professional surveyors.
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