Diana Stricker Photos
A FEMA workshop to discuss new flood maps and insurance changes brought a flood a people, a flood of questions and a flood of frustration in Branford.
New FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] floodplain maps went into effect in New Haven County in July, resulting in more properties being designated as high risk zones. In addition, residents will have to deal with the effects of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 which will phase out lower premiums for many homes, including older homes that were grandfathered into the National Flood Insurance Program. (Click here to read a previous story about the new maps.)
There was standing room only this past Tuesday night as more than 175 residents from throughout the region crowded into the community room at the fire headquarters in Branford to hear the presentation, ask questions and look at online maps. Information from the workshop and links to FEMA sites are available on Branford’s website under the FEMA Flood Insurance Maps link on the left side of the home page. Pictured is FEMA agent Karl Anderson helping a resident find map of his home
Town engineer Janice Plaziak, who has been working with residents to sort out the flood map details, said she wasn’t surprised at the turnout at the workshop due to the number of phone calls she has received. Plaziak said the town’s Engineering Department does not make decisions regarding who needs flood insurance, but they can help answer questions.
Christopher Markesich, a FEMA natural hazards program specialist, said that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA was directed to do new mapping from the Gulf Coast up to Maine. He said the new maps are much more accurate than the previous ones.
“There’s a lot more science behind these maps,” Markesich told the crowd. “We have a longer period of record” to rely upon. But his response did not allay concerns that a way of life that shoreline residents have known may soon become too costly to afford. Realtors voiced similar concerns.
RESIDENTS FACE MANY QUESTIONS
Short Beach resident Rodney Hayes is fearful she will lose the preferred premium savings she has received in recent years. Her home, which is about 250 feet from the shoreline, was built by a sea captain in 1880. “It’s still standing through all the hurricanes and we never had flooding in the basement,” she said.
She has lived in the home year-round for 15 years. This year’s flood insurance premium was $459, but if the federal subsidies are phased out, her insurance agent told her the rates could eventually climb to $3,000 a year.
“It’s another added burden,” she told the Eagle. “The taxes and insurance will probably force us out of here.”
The new regulations are also causing concern for Glen Yarbrough, who just purchased a home on East Haycock Point Road in the Pine Orchard section of town. “It affects me greatly,” she said following the FEMA presentation.
“I am trying to weigh the big decision about whether to elevate it,” said Yarbrough, who is renting a home in Branford until the newly-purchased home is renovated. “It’s exciting and it’s terrifying,” she said of her new venture.
KNOW YOUR RISK
“The most important thing is to know what your risk is,” said Bob Desaulniers, FEMA regional insurance specialist. “You definitely need to know what zone you’re in.”
During the FEMA presentation, Desaulniers gave advice about understanding the new digital maps and the changes resulting from the new federal legislation. FEMA creates floodplain maps, also known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for each community in a flood management program.
“Talk to your insurance agent sooner rather than later and talk about what your options are,” Desaulniers said. He said residents whose homes are designated in a high hazard flood zone for the first time “might qualify for two years of a preferred policy…a relatively inexpensive policy.”
He said if a property owner has a mortgage, their lending institution will inform them if they need to purchase a flood policy.
Desaulniers spent a good portion of the 45-minute presentation talking about changes to the grandfathering rules and special subsidies. Homes that were built before federal floodplain mapping began, or homes that were built in compliance with federal flood regulations at the time generally pay lower premiums than the risk requires.
We have a mandate…to phase out both of these kinds of subsidies,” he said. The grandfathering rules and discounts are still in effect now but are slated to begin being phased out in late 2014, according to the Biggert-Waters Reform Act.
“They’re not just going to stop the grandfathering overnight. They’re going to phase it out,” Desaulniers said. However, he also said there are proposed bills pending in Congress regarding the grandfathering status. He said FEMA won’t know specific details about phasing out until mid-2014, and that it could change if more legislation is passed. “We just don’t know how that’s going to play out,” Desaulniers said.
He said some insurance premiums are already increasing, including homes that have experienced severe repetitive losses; or policies that have lapsed.
“If you have an older home and you’ve got a basement…you don’t want that policy to lapse,” Desaulniers advised.
He said older homeowners who paid off their mortgage and want to sell in the near future should continue to keep flood insurance. He said they should take into account that buyers will need to have flood insurance if they have a mortgage and are in a high risk flood zone. “Find out what flood zone you’re in and factor that into your financial planning,” he advised homeowners.
Mary Johnson Photo
He also said that homeowners in high risk zones may need to obtain Elevation Certificates for their property to determine the correct rate.
Desaulniers said people can benefit from “significant” insurance savings by reducing their risk by retrofitting or elevating their homes. “Adapt and try avoiding the risk. Definitely consider what is possible,” he said.
LOCAL REALTORS CONCERNED
The double whammy of new flood maps and increasing insurance costs is scaring away some prospective buyers, according to local real estate agents who attended the workshop.
Residents who live in high risk flood zones will be required to purchase federal flood insurance if they have a mortgage or line of credit on their property. In addition, property owners in high risk zones will be required to get a special permit before they begin any renovation or expansion projects.
“It affects everyone from the littlest brook to the shoreline,” said Nancy Orlando of Century 21 in Branford. She said the first question prospective buyers ask is whether the home is in a flood zone. “People are shying away from beachfront, waterfront and riverfront.”
Julie Premo of Prudential Reality in Branford said realtors are concerned about the effect on sales. “The board of realtors is trying to keep up with all the information,” she said.
Residents who live in low or moderate risk floodplain areas may be eligible for a preferred risk policy at lower rates, but they are not typically required to purchase insurance even if they have a mortgage.
QUESTIONING FEMA
Some people at the regional workshop complained about the lack of clarity of the new digital maps and others questioned the accuracy.
Joan Morotto, who lives in Northford, told the Eagle that she pays high flood insurance premiums and has never been flooded in the 52 years she has lived there. Her home is near a brook, but she said there “has never had more than 3 or 4 inches of water in the brook.”
The new maps put her home in a higher risk zone. “I’ve been fighting this for 10 years. There’s no rhyme or reason why I’m paying flood insurance. Now it’s going up significantly.”
Bill Ganner told the Eagle he is concerned about the new flood elevation listed for the Lamphiers Cove area. He said the elevation went from 14 feet to 21 feet, and he thinks that must be an error. He has had a summer cottage in the area since 1946 and has never been flooded.
A Guilford man told the FEMA agents that he might be one of the lucky ones whose home is no longer included in the high risk floodplain, according to his interpretation of the new maps. However, he said he can’t convince his insurance agent that he doesn’t need a policy anymore. Like others at the workshop, he told FEMA the new digital maps lack clarity.
FEMA officials were available for one-on-one discussions of the digital maps and offered to help residents find their map designation.
(The presentation from the meeting and a copy of the handouts are available on the town’s Website in a link “FEMA Flood Maps and Flood Insurance Information” under ‘News & Events.”)
Rates for the National Flood Insurance Program are set by the government and do not vary from one insurance agent to another. The policies pay a maximum of $250,000 for a damage claim to a residential structure, and a maximum of $100,000 for contents. Other assistance may be available if the area is declared a disaster, as with storms Irene and Sandy.
The FEMA Flood Smart Web site www.floodsmart.gov contains vast amounts of information and provides a link that gives a quick one-step estimate of flood insurance rates when the user types in an address.
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