More residents will be forced to get insurance

[Aquawind]

Collier disputes accuracy of flood maps

More residents will be forced to get insurance

By MARY WOZNIAK
MWOZNIAK@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Published by news-press.com on May 24, 2005

Collier County must use new flood maps that county and Naples officials say are inaccurate and will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

The maps were created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and take effect July 1. They will force more residents to purchase flood insurance — unnecessarily, county officials say — and change construction methods in some coastal areas, resulting in increased building elevations.

But FEMA says the new maps are better than the old ones. "They are more accurate than the current effective maps," said Todd Davidson, FEMA's director of the flood insurance and mitigation division for the Southeast Region.

The FEMA edict Friday is the latest twist in almost seven years of wrangling over the flood maps and the county's effort to have an engineering consultant meet several deadlines to provide rebuttal data for new maps.

The data was about 95 percent complete when FEMA's final March 31 deadline passed, said Dick Tomasello, president of Tomasello Consulting Engineers Inc., which has been helping Collier.

Then communication stopped and there was no more FEMA response to county messages, said Bob Devlin, FEMA coordinator for Naples.

"We were pretty much blindsided on Friday by this," he said of the edict.

Davidson said Monday that the county data was not as far along as 95 percent. "There is a difference between modeling and actual production of a map," he said.

If FEMA forces the questionable maps to be implemented July 1, the city will take legal action asking for a revision, Joe Schmitt, community development and environmental services administrator, said Monday.

"FEMA's maps are based on faulty science, poor technology, poor data and poor analysis," Schmitt said in an earlier prepared statement.

The updated flood maps track changes in the 100-year flood plain and are a tool insurers use to determine which residents in which areas need to buy flood insurance.

With the new FEMA maps in Collier County, at least 300 properties would change from an "X" zone, where flood insurance is not required, to a flood zone, Devlin said.

At least 250 properties along the coast would cost an additional $200,000 to $250,000 to rebuild if torn down, because of new construction rules, he said. (Tear down is the only way to develop along Naples' coast because it is 95 to 98 percent built out, he said.)

Other problems with the new FEMA maps include wrong street locations, named streets that aren't even in Collier County and faulty boundaries, Devlin said.

Lee County and all of its communities are also due for a revision to its FEMA flood maps, said John Wilson, county public safety director. "We too are under a FEMA restudy and awaiting the results of that restudy." He expects to see some changes in the 100-year flood plain, Wilson said.

FEMA came up with the new maps in 1998. Collier County first formally filed an appeal against them in December 2001.

After more talks and meetings, the county convinced FEMA a year ago that the maps had problems, Schmitt said. The county wanted two years to come up with data for new maps. FEMA gave the county six months, Schmitt said.

The December 2004 deadline was extended by FEMA to March 31, 2005.

"The partnership is supposed to be there as far as FEMA working with local governments," Schmitt said. But it wasn't there in terms of giving the county enough time to provide its rebuttal map information, he said. "We're dealing with a county the size of Rhode Island."

But Davidson said that if Collier County did not get the materials to FEMA by its third deadline, March 31, "everyone was in concurrence we would go ahead with the maps already done. Understanding that, we applaud the county. They have worked hard on a very complex issue."

Once the July 1 maps are out, FEMA is willing to continue to work with the county in gathering more information to make "incremental progress toward a best map," Davidson said.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 40459/1075

After last year it looks like the clear trend is FEMA and insurance will ask for more and we will get less..After this 20-30 year cycle is over insurance and FEMA will have a whole new meaning..Rates and Taxes will probably have to rise to cover the costs..

Paul

[StormChasr]

ANYBODY, and I repeat, ANYBODY who does not have Flood Insurance in the State of Florida is a fool. Flooding can take place anywhere in the state--it doesn't take a hurricane, or even a tropical storm to cause a flood condition, when the average elevation is 12 feet above sea level. Thus, people who live in an "X" zone (preferred risk) are NOT spared from flooding---a stalled low perssure front can dump 10-12 inches of rain in a given area, and there will be flooding. Apparently, nature doesn't read the FEMA maps---so a word to the wise--GET FLOOD INSURANCE!!!

[gatorcane]

StormChasr with all do respect I wouldn't say ANYBODY...there are several locations/areas in FL where the elevation is 100+ feet and in places you wouldn't expect. For example, northern Pinellas County (the county west of Tampa Bay) is relatively high elevation. I used to live there and I never even considered flood insurance. I wouldn't waste my money on flood insurance if I were in one of those zones. On the other hand, Naples is flat and low. It also has one of the higher chances of getting hit by a hurricane in this state so I would definitely get flood insurance.

[StormChasr]

I wouldn't waste my money on flood insurance if I were in one of those zones.

So don't. I repeat my original statement--Anybody who does not get flood insurance in Florida is a fool. 100 foot elevations can flood very easily--look at Asheville, NC after Ivan and Frances--and it is a LOT higher than 100 feet above sea level there.

[dhweather]

I'd take it a step further - anyone who doesn't have flood insurance at all is taking a big chance.

Most policies don't cover water getting into your house - they call that a "flood". It happened to my mother when a gutter on her home plugged up. $100 a year is well worth it.

[mitchell]

I've gotta say this--the NFIP has an incredibly tough mandate...provide accurate mapping of 100-year floodplains for nearly the entire country...Even with new technology its an incredibly daunting task. If they err on one side uninsured flood damage occurs, if they err on the other side, people are forced to pay more (Zone X flood insurance is about 1/4 of the cost of flood insurance if you're in the 100-year floodplain - Zones A or V).

I can think of only about two situations where flood insurance probably doesn't make economic sence...Those who can completely self insure will statistically be better off just repairing damage as it occurs...the other involves very expensive and limited basement coverage. Probably not common in FLA anyway.

[FloridaGirl]

Well, we have a different kind of a problem, in that our homeowners insurance was cancelled and because our house was built over 50 years ago, no one will insure us. We have remodeled the house and it is very nice, but the records show that it is over 50 years old, so no one will touch it. I agree with another post that I read on here that the older homes are better built than the newer ones, but apparently the insurance companies does not think so.

[StormChasr]

Well, we have a different kind of a problem, in that our homeowners insurance was cancelled and because our house was built over 50 years ago, no one will insure us. We have remodeled the house and it is very nice, but the records show that it is over 50 years old, so no one will touch it. I agree with another post that I read on here that the older homes are better built than the newer ones, but apparently the insurance companies does not think so.

Citizens has to insure you.

[weatherwindow]

very true, storm chsr....they are legally mandated to cover them. more costly than non-pool coverage but certainly the insurer of last resort. it is only a matter of time before private insurance is a distant memory for the state.

[yzerfan]

ANYBODY, and I repeat, ANYBODY who does not have Flood Insurance in the State of Florida is a fool. Flooding can take place anywhere in the state--it doesn't take a hurricane, or even a tropical storm to cause a flood condition, when the average elevation is 12 feet above sea level. Thus, people who live in an "X" zone (preferred risk) are NOT spared from flooding---a stalled low perssure front can dump 10-12 inches of rain in a given area, and there will be flooding. Apparently, nature doesn't read the FEMA maps---so a word to the wise--GET FLOOD INSURANCE!!!

We got something like 20-25" of rain over the course of a long weekend from one of those stalled lows this spring and nary a flooding problem in sight here. Same during Georges, which was supposedly a 500 year level flood event in some parts around here. But then not only are we a couple miles inland and 50 feet above sea level, but my subdivision is on a ridge of sorts (including a moderately steep 20-30' hill two streets south of us) and my house is on one of the higher spots of the ridge. Wind damage? Definitely possible/probable if we get hit head on by something nasty. But with the topography we're at, we just can't figure out a scenario where flooding would get us.