# FEMA flood insurance question



## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I'm really curious as to how many of you are hit for FEMA flood insurance because you have a mortgage and they can? If you pay for flood insurance, is your risk factor reasonable? If you live in a flood zone that really floods, roughly how much do you pay for insurance? Do you have trouble getting it? 

I'd really like to learn about how flood insurance affects everyone, because we live in dry land - approx 20" of precip a year - about 5 miles from running water and FEMA calls us a "high risk" flood zone. There is good drainage in place in case we do get a lot of snow and heavy run off and there has never been a flood claim made on our property, nor a flood for 100 years. We are told that we have a 1 in 100 year flood risk and this is "high", seems fishy to me. We pay huge premiums, I suspect our town was targeted because we are small and lack clout to fight it. Before FEMA took over flood insurance, we paid less than 1/10 of our current premium of approx $3600 a year! 

I'm just curious if this is normal, what people that do live in a high risk flood zone pay, etc. I do hope FEMA pays out when people have claims, I hate paying for nothing. I'd just as soon someone got some benefits!


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Have you personally seen the FEMA flood maps for your area? 

You might not be in a flood zone and your bank has some bad information on your account?


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Oh, my bank does not have bad information, trust me. There is no doubt that we are labeled "high risk", it just doesn't make sense to anyone. I'm really curious if we are the only ones though that are given that label so oddly... and if our bill is what other "high risk" people pay. 

I have seen news reports of other similarly strange flood zones, where someone was able to fight it and win. A few years back, right after FEMA took over flood insurance, the flood zones were re-written and ours was changed, along with many others in our small town.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

FEMA never took over flood insurance. The insurance still comes from underwriters. 

What FEMA did do is have all of the old flood plain maps digitized. In some places, the results were correct and in others they are laughable. I looked at most of the local ones as part of an economic study. There were buildings within the 100 year flood zone, barely, that didn't flood during the record flood which was calculated to be a 2,250 year flood.

See if you can find the older paper maps before the digitization. Compare them with the digitized maps. If there are differences ask the flood plain manager if the digitized maps are the result of new hydrologic analysis. If not, something's wrong.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Can you explain your assertion that FEMA didn't take over flood insurance? What is that based on? My insurance company sends me to FEMA. They seem to have their hands tied as to what to charge.

Mostly though I have realized that I can't so much fight it, but I do wonder if this is typical or unusual and what people pay for their flood insurance and what their risk zones are. What they charge us doesn't even seem to equate to what their website says are normal charges for our risk rating. We don't have an expensive home or anything like that. 

Finding the old paper maps might be useful to compare. Where do I find a flood plain manager? I live in a town of 200 people, the nearest other town is 30 miles away. Would a flood plain manager be a county person? I'm reasonably sure that there was no hydrologic analysis. We have buildings in the 100 yr zone that are on the top of the hill and wouldn't flood unless we have another ice age. 

BTW, I spoke with a FEMA agent on the phone once... he so nicely called me at 5 am and treated me like cat skat and blamed me for "being over emotional and not willing to help myself" when I tried to tell him that I know where I am in the elevation and on the map, but the map is in error. He wanted me to spend the money to have my place surveyed before he would even talk with me, but I'm not contesting where on the map I am or the elevation, I'm contesting that where I am at this elevation isn't a flood zone, at least not "high risk". It was all run me around, make it expensive before they would even discuss anything. I didn't think I could really afford that, but at over $300 a month for nothing, probably a mistake. :\

I speak with insurance agents or my credit union and they think the whole thing is terrible... then they go speak with FEMA and never get back to me.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

A surveyor can help determine if you are actually in a flood risk...the maps they base the data on are old and sometimes inaccurate. I highly recommend a flood study. We did many flood surveys for homeowners that were labeled in a flood zone...just because they say its so doesn't mean it is.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

How hard is it to deal with FEMA if a surveyor shows you aren't really a flood risk?


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

GrannyCarol said:


> *Can you explain your assertion that FEMA didn't take over flood insurance?* What is that based on? My insurance company sends me to FEMA. They seem to have their hands tied as to what to charge.
> 
> Mostly though I have realized that I can't so much fight it, but I do wonder if this is typical or unusual and what people pay for their flood insurance and what their risk zones are. What they charge us doesn't even seem to equate to what their website says are normal charges for our risk rating. We don't have an expensive home or anything like that.
> 
> ...


FEMA is normally responsible for the mapping and the enforcement of the program. They have nothing to due with providing flood insurance. 

You will need your first floor elevation which can be compared to the current flood plain map. You can get maps from FEMA. In many cases your state land grant college may have a geographical information system center that has the maps for downloading. 

Call your county courthouse and find out who is responsible for issuing building permits. Someone there will have to review applications to compare it with a flood plain map. Some governmental authority is responsible for flood plain administration for your area, other wise you wouldn't be able to buy flood insurance.

If you can get a letter of map amendment, LOMA, from FEMA you can skip the flood insurance. You'll need a surveyor to determine your first floor elevation first.

http://www.fema.gov/media/fhm/lomrf/ot_loma.html


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

GrannyCarol said:


> How hard is it to deal with FEMA if a surveyor shows you aren't really a flood risk?


Not hard, if a surveyor finds you are not in a flood zone you will not require flood insurance. Ive seen flood zones mapped that not even Noah saw in the ark. The surveyor will have or will download the form you and him will sign.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Darren said:


> FEMA is normally responsible for the mapping and the enforcement of the program. They have nothing to due with providing flood insurance.
> 
> You will need your first floor elevation which can be compared to the current flood plain map. You can get maps from FEMA. In many cases your state land grant college may have a geographical information system center that has the maps for downloading.
> 
> ...


This...a letter of map revision...LOMA

http://www.fema.gov/letter-map-amendment-letter-map-revision-based-fill-process

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

To see if it's worthwhile get the elevation from a topo map that shows the elevation at your house and compare it with the elevation on the flood plain map. If the topo map elevation is higher, go through the LOMA process.


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## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

When we moved out to the farm they tried to make us get flood insurance. We had to argue and argue to prove we were not in a flood zone (mostly this was due to the fact that the address the hwy dept assigned us when entered into gps or google earth etc shows you a property about 40 miles from us which is low lying - it has the same address just in a different county). That caused us all kinds of headaches but I digress.

Finally a guy came out and we walked him out into what would be the front yard and pointed far far away at the tops of the town's water towers, which we look *down* on. I told him - "honey, if the water gets into my house, the only flood insurance that will help anybody is gonna be a giant boat with a bunch of animals in it." They finally let it go.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

My concern is that I am within what they consider a flood plain, whether its going to flood or not, will they let go if I am within their mapped flood plain and its elevations - even though its not going to flood?

Also, I am interested in whether our rates are normal for the 100 yr flood zone, anyone have any experience there?


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

GrannyCarol said:


> My concern is that I am within what they consider a flood plain, whether its going to flood or not, *will they let go if I am within their mapped flood plain and its elevations* - even though its not going to flood?
> 
> Also, I am interested in whether our rates are normal for the 100 yr flood zone, anyone have any experience there?


That's the purpose of the letter of map amendment, LOMA. If you can prove the elevation at your house is higher than the one shown on the flood plain map for a 100 year flood you will get the LOMA which will enable you to drop your flood insurance or if you want to keep it, get a preferred rate of less than $200 per year.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Ok, I get that, but I just don't believe that there is that sort of risk anywhere in their "flood plain" in this town, there is no history to show that's a possibility. I'm quite sure that my elevation would place me squarely in what they call a 100 yr risk, I'm at the lower end of it. I just don't agree that there is that sort of risk here. 

Perhaps FEMA doesn't run my flood insurance... however we are a part of the NFIP and that is administered by FEMA and my money ends up in their coffers. Between NFIP and FEMA, they set what is a flood plain and what isn't, what the risk of a flood is and the rates that are charges. Before those things were taken over, my flood insurance was $300 a year through a private company. There are no private flood insurance companies available to me. 

I am required to have flood insurance by law because I have a mortgage and FEMA has found my property to be "high risk". If I don't have flood insurance, I lose my mortgage. 

Am I really the only one out there that pays unusually high flood insurance? I am very curious what sort of rates people pay in New Orleans, or really truly flood prone areas or if they can even get flood insurance? I'd like to know how that works. 

Thanks for the answers.


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