FLOOD map & insurance - INDEX

RATES WON'T RISE: Rockaway Beach to keep flood insurance rating
January 21, 2011
http://tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/article_86eada80-2586-11e0-b459-001cc4c03286.html

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January 13, 2011
http://tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/article_2f28300a-1f2c-11e0-9f34-001cc4c03286.html

ROCKAWAY BEACH - Flood insurance rates in Rockaway Beach will increase this spring if the county is unable to reach an agreement with FEMA over a newly constructed coastal home.

During the Jan. 12 Rockaway Beach City Council meeting, Craig Wakefield with the county Department of Community Development gave an update on building issues with the Sheckler residence. The home was built in 2006 in a coastal high hazard zone.

The planning permit for the home was issued by the City of Rockaway Beach and the building permits were issued by the Department of Community Development.

During the final stages of construction, an elevation surveyor reported several concerns about the structure to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA provides the National Flood Insurance Program and offers discounts to residents in cities or unincorporated county areas that have taken proper flood management tactics. Entities are rated from 1 to 10, with 10 being the poorest rating that garners no discount. Rockaway Beach is currently rated a 7, which entitles its residents to a 15-percent discount on flood insurance.

FEMA says the Sheckler home is not in compliance with NFIP standards, and has threatened to lower the city's rating to a 10 if the problems with the home are not resolved.

Engineers have twice submitted suggested remedies to FEMA, and both were rejected. The engineers have until Jan. 14 to provide a third and final suggestion on the house.

Wakefield remained optimistic that a resolution would be reached. But Rockaway Beach City Manager David Wiegan was doubtful. Wiegan said he received an e-mail just before the council meeting saying FEMA has already started the process to lower the city's rating to a 10, effective May 1.

The e-mail stated that even if a resolution was reached, it wouldn't be until October, when the ratings are reviewed once again, that Rockaway Beach could regain its Class 7 status.

Wakefield said that e-mail was "absolutely contrary" to what had been discussed in a conference with FEMA and reiterated that he felt the issue could be resolved.

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Cedar Rapids, IA
http://www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_2188.shtml

It's not this flood, but future ones that's causing problems for about 1,000 families. They're moving into a higher risk flood zone because of changes to FEMA's flood plain maps in Cedar Rapids.

Under the new boundaries, hundreds of people who never had flood insurance, and were never flooded, are now required to buy policies. One family tells us their property is actually split in half, part in the 100 year flood zone, part safe and they say the boundaries just don't make sense.

"This is the area that's out of the flood zone and we're standing a good three feet above that right now and the back of the garage is supposedly in the flood zone," says Terry Kuehl.

It's a confusing change for Terry and his wife Stephaney Kuehl.

"You can tell there's a pretty good grade right here," says Terry.

As they walk downhill in their back yard and toward a creek, according to FEMA's new maps, they're moving out of the 100 year flood plain.

"To the best I can figure it's right in here would be about this point here and we're out of the flood zone right here," says Terry.

The Kuehls were not flooded in 2008 but they say some neighbors were and the new maps show some of those people are out of the flood plain.

"It makes no sense and I think anybody that would come back here and look could see it,” says Terry.

But bringing in a surveyor to challenge the maps will cost the Kuehl's about 500 dollars.

"What do you do? Do you gamble?" asks Stephaney.

"I would not want to take the chance," says Farmers Insurance agent Carolyn Lathrop.

She says anyone moving from a low-risk area into the 100-year flood plain needs to get a policy now to be grandfathered in with a lower rate.

"I've had a lot of calls," says Lathrop.

If you buy before April 5th the higher rate won't kick in until you renew in 2011 and it will be lower than a normal high risk policy. But still too high for the Kuehls. They were quoted 300 dollars for insurance this year, 1300 next year.

"You've got children and braces, you've got tax increases and you know it's gonna effect a lot of people," says Stephaney.

And the family is worried for the future too.

"I kinda find it hard to sell a place that's in the flood zone," says Terry.

Stephanie Kuehl's parents were flooded in 2008 and she says she would be the first in line to sign up for insurance if she thought she needed it.

City leaders are helping people sort through the changes to the maps, but they have no control over where the boundaries fall, because it's a FEMA initiative.

For a closer look at the new flood maps head to: http://www.cedar-rapids.org/engineering/fema_flood_maps.asp

FEMA Flood Map Confusion