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Revised Flood Maps Will Severely Impact Coastal Property Owners
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued new draft flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) that will drastically affect many Cape Cod property owners when the maps are adopted. In most areas, the new maps have expanded the flood hazard zone boundaries to include land that is further inland and at higher elevations than on the present maps. Properties not presently within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or "flood plain" may be re-classified as lying within an area of moderate or high risk for flooding based on the new maps.
The new maps are expected to take effect next spring when adopted by the towns on the Cape, but the time for property owners to act is now! Inaction could cost you thousands of dollars in insurance premiums or, worse, substantially impact what you can do to expand an existing building, construct a new building, or make improvements to a property.
Source:www.FEMA.org
All property owners should review the draft flood maps of their community to identify if their property will be in a flood zone. Maps can be reviewed at town hall or online at FEMA and town hall websites.
If you find your property lies within a newly-identified flood hazard area, you should contact your insurance agent to discuss how your insurance will be affected. Your insurance agent will likely advise you to obtain a Flood Elevation Certificate, prepared by a registered engineer or land surveyor, in order to properly assess the insurance impacts. A Flood Elevation Certificate will provide the information needed to assess flood damage risk, and possibly determine that your house is not in a flood hazard area.
You should also contact a registered professional engineer if you are planning or even contemplating making improvements to your building or property to learn how the new flood boundaries could impact your ability to make the planned improvements. In many towns, zoning regulations limit or prohibit what can be done in a flood hazard area. Wetland resource areas and associated buffer zones are also directly related to the location of flood hazard boundaries. Local Conservation Commission and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulations could limit or prohibit what you can do in a flood hazard area or associated buffer zone. A project that may only require a building permit today may not be feasible when the new flood maps are adopted or, if permissible, may require extensive zoning and wetland permitting efforts, mitigation, and additional expense.
Periodic changes to flood risk maps are inevitable, catalyzed by changes in the environment, weather patterns, and new development. Revised maps are issued to inform property owners of changes in their community's flood zone boundaries and the risk that their property will be flooded. Knowing if your property is in a mapped flood hazard zone and at risk of being flooded are keys to protecting your investment and understanding potential limitations for making property improvements in the future.
Coastal Engineering Co., Inc. has more than 35 years of experience with flood prone properties and can help you navigate the effects of the impending flood map changes.
Don't delay taking action - the deadline for filing an appeal of the draft maps is October 17, 2013 and the new maps are scheduled to become effective by June 2014.
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