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On July 18, 2012, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released revised Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Carroll County Maryland. These maps will cover the entire County including the incorporated municipalities.
The release starts a 90 day review and appeal period for the updated maps. A representative of the Carroll County Bureau of Resource Management explained that all appeals must be technical in nature as opposed to anecdotal. FEMA will only consider data submitted based on actual field measurements and /or hydraulic modeling. All comments must be received by the Carroll County Bureau of Resource Management no later than October 10.
Hanover Land Services, Inc. can also help minimize the cost of flood insurance for property owners whose property lies within a FEMA flood plain by providing an elevation certification in areas where there is a detailed FEMA study. In areas without a detailed FEMA study, a house location certification can be provided.
An elevation certification would show which floors of a structure, if any, are above the 100 year flood elevation. Hanover Land Services, Inc. has extensive experience providing elevation certification for this purpose. We can also delineate flood plain boundaries to help a property owner determine if they should appeal the newly released FIRM maps during the appeal period. The homeowner who can show that the flood plain should be redefined showing their property completely outside the floodplain boundaries may eliminate their need for flood insurance. If you are interested in finding out more about either a flood elevation certification or an appeal to the newly released maps could provide substantial savings on your flood insurance, contact Mark Riddle at 717-637-5674 or mriddle@hanoverlandservices.com.
If a property is in an area that will be newly classified in a higher risk FEMA flood plain, FEMA has established rules for grandfathering that may allow property owners to benefit from cost savings when purchasing flood insurance. Information about this and other FEMA FIRM questions can be found at http://ccgovrnment.carr.org/ccg.MapServer4/GIS/webpage/FIRM Coverpage.html.
Representatives from FEMA and the Maryland Department of Environment will host a Flood Risk Information Open House on August 28 at 6 PM at the Carroll Community College Scott Theatre. Questions about the newly released Carroll County FEMA FIRM maps will be addressed at this meeting. Representatives from the County will also be present to talk with attendees.
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