BERLIN—The turnout for an open house event to let local property owners review preliminary flood insurance maps that was sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Stephen Decatur Middle School on Jan. 16 was so robust, it took the officials by surprise.
The FEMA officials on hand were not expecting the number of people that turned out, said Robin Danforth, a project engineer in FEMA Region III. She estimated the overall turnout at roughly 240.
As part of the set up for the event, homeowners were directed to various stations, manned by FEMA officials to discuss how the proposed changes would impact specific property lots. Attendees were given a list of the stations along with brief descriptions of the type of information that could be reviewed. However, most of the participants arrived at roughly the same time—at the 6 p.m. start time, causing bottlenecks during the evening’s first 90 minutes.
Danforth said that to ensure that the property owners get their questions answered officials would post the information on an interactive Web site by the end of January. Using the Web site residents would be able to access information specific to their address, she said.
After informally polling a cross section of a few participants, it was clear that the most consistent question the homeowners wanted answers to was various versions of “How will the changes affect my insurance rates or coverage?”
Doug Huber, who has lived in Snug Harbor since 1963, said he had been flooded out many times. Since he arrived, he said new developments have been built by filling in marshlands that force stormwater into the outer boundary areas, including sometimes where he lives. Moreover, jetties have been installed that do not allow the water to come up the coastline anymore and it backs up into the land masses near Assateague.
“I have seen houses float out to sea,” he said, adding “Thank God for flood insurance.”
Huber said he came to the open house because he heard that the federal government was getting out of the flood insurance business, which he said would leave a lot of property owners stranded with no coverage. He said he was hoping to find out more information.
Homeowner Tom Hughes said he attended looking to find out whether the changes might result in a reduction in his flood insurance premiums. He said for the house he purchased nine years ago, his insurance rates had increased over the past two years to the current premium of $250 per month.
Hughes added he did not find any indication of a rate decrease, dashing his hopes for relief, and that he could not afford to let his policy lapse either. Doing so, he said, would mean starting from scratch if he tried to purchase a new policy.
Ocean Pines Association Director Jack Collins came to get answers that could help either lay to rest or substantiate rumors that non-resident homeowners in the community would over time no longer be covered by the FEMA program.
Collins pointed out to Danforth many Ocean Pines residents were second homeowners and they were hearing that their premiums will likely increase for four consecutive years, and then the policies would no longer be offered.
Danforth told Collins that was not how she saw it.
“My understanding is that it does increase, but that it does not drop,” she said, before referring Collins to a flood insurance specialist at one of the stations.
In an information statement relating to the changes being implemented due to the enactment of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, FEMA officials pointed out that roughly 20 percent of all NFIP policies pay subsidized rates. “Only a portion of those policies that are currently paying subsidized premiums will see larger premium increases of 25% annually starting this year, until their premiums are full-risk premiums,” it said.
According to the information sheet, “Five percent of policyholders – those with subsidized policies for non-primary residences, businesses, and severe repetitive loss properties – will see the 25% annual increases immediately. Subsidies will no longer be offered for policies covering newly purchased properties, lapsed policies, or new policies covering properties for the first time.” It further said that the policies that are already at full-risk rates will not have large premium increases.
However, it added that most policyholders will see a new charge on their premiums— to cover the Reserve Fund assessment that is mandated by the new law. “Initially, there will be a 5% assessment to all policies except Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs),” officials said. “The Reserve Fund will increase over time and will also be assessed on PRPs at some undetermined future date. Additional changes to premium rates will occur upon remapping, the provision calling for these premium rate changes will not be implemented until the latter half of 2014,” it added.
Moreover, FEMA advised that subsidies were not being phased out for existing policies covering primary residences, but they could still be lost under conditions that apply to all subsidized policies. Subsidies will be immediately phased out for all new and lapsed policies and upon sale of the property, it said. “There may also be premium changes for policyholders after their community is remapped. But that provision of the Act is still under review and will be implemented in the future,” officials said.
Berlin homeowner Patricia Dufendach called the event, “A wonderful, well attended meeting.” She said she was pleased with the amount of handout information available and that the agency was making its officials available to discuss how the proposals would specifically affect the local area. She suggested that it would also be helpful for the agency to provide information that could help people to learn more about managing stormwater in their communities.
FEMA is proposing changes to its flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) that will essentially remove nearly 10,000 property parcels from being included in classified flood zones—from the current total of 25,964 parcels to 16,283 parcels (37 percent reduction) under the preliminary proposal. Neither FEMA nor the county is planning direct notification the property owners affected by the changes.
According to analysis conducted by Worcester County and provided to Bayside Gazette, of the 1,991 parcels in the Town of Berlin shown on the maps, 220 parcels are currently designated as being in a floodplain. Under the proposed floodplain maps that total would shrink to 116 parcels, a 47 percent reduction in the required flood insurance coverage area.
The county analysis further showed that of the 8,888 parcels in Ocean Pines shown on the maps. Under the proposed floodplain maps that total would shrink the required flood insurance coverage area by 42 percent, from the 6,150 parcels currently designated as being in a floodplain to 3,553 parcels, according to officials.
The FEMA officials on hand were not expecting the number of people that turned out, said Robin Danforth, a project engineer in FEMA Region III. She estimated the overall turnout at roughly 240.
As part of the set up for the event, homeowners were directed to various stations, manned by FEMA officials to discuss how the proposed changes would impact specific property lots. Attendees were given a list of the stations along with brief descriptions of the type of information that could be reviewed. However, most of the participants arrived at roughly the same time—at the 6 p.m. start time, causing bottlenecks during the evening’s first 90 minutes.
Danforth said that to ensure that the property owners get their questions answered officials would post the information on an interactive Web site by the end of January. Using the Web site residents would be able to access information specific to their address, she said.
After informally polling a cross section of a few participants, it was clear that the most consistent question the homeowners wanted answers to was various versions of “How will the changes affect my insurance rates or coverage?”
Doug Huber, who has lived in Snug Harbor since 1963, said he had been flooded out many times. Since he arrived, he said new developments have been built by filling in marshlands that force stormwater into the outer boundary areas, including sometimes where he lives. Moreover, jetties have been installed that do not allow the water to come up the coastline anymore and it backs up into the land masses near Assateague.
“I have seen houses float out to sea,” he said, adding “Thank God for flood insurance.”
Huber said he came to the open house because he heard that the federal government was getting out of the flood insurance business, which he said would leave a lot of property owners stranded with no coverage. He said he was hoping to find out more information.
Homeowner Tom Hughes said he attended looking to find out whether the changes might result in a reduction in his flood insurance premiums. He said for the house he purchased nine years ago, his insurance rates had increased over the past two years to the current premium of $250 per month.
Hughes added he did not find any indication of a rate decrease, dashing his hopes for relief, and that he could not afford to let his policy lapse either. Doing so, he said, would mean starting from scratch if he tried to purchase a new policy.
Ocean Pines Association Director Jack Collins came to get answers that could help either lay to rest or substantiate rumors that non-resident homeowners in the community would over time no longer be covered by the FEMA program.
Collins pointed out to Danforth many Ocean Pines residents were second homeowners and they were hearing that their premiums will likely increase for four consecutive years, and then the policies would no longer be offered.
Danforth told Collins that was not how she saw it.
“My understanding is that it does increase, but that it does not drop,” she said, before referring Collins to a flood insurance specialist at one of the stations.
In an information statement relating to the changes being implemented due to the enactment of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, FEMA officials pointed out that roughly 20 percent of all NFIP policies pay subsidized rates. “Only a portion of those policies that are currently paying subsidized premiums will see larger premium increases of 25% annually starting this year, until their premiums are full-risk premiums,” it said.
According to the information sheet, “Five percent of policyholders – those with subsidized policies for non-primary residences, businesses, and severe repetitive loss properties – will see the 25% annual increases immediately. Subsidies will no longer be offered for policies covering newly purchased properties, lapsed policies, or new policies covering properties for the first time.” It further said that the policies that are already at full-risk rates will not have large premium increases.
However, it added that most policyholders will see a new charge on their premiums— to cover the Reserve Fund assessment that is mandated by the new law. “Initially, there will be a 5% assessment to all policies except Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs),” officials said. “The Reserve Fund will increase over time and will also be assessed on PRPs at some undetermined future date. Additional changes to premium rates will occur upon remapping, the provision calling for these premium rate changes will not be implemented until the latter half of 2014,” it added.
Moreover, FEMA advised that subsidies were not being phased out for existing policies covering primary residences, but they could still be lost under conditions that apply to all subsidized policies. Subsidies will be immediately phased out for all new and lapsed policies and upon sale of the property, it said. “There may also be premium changes for policyholders after their community is remapped. But that provision of the Act is still under review and will be implemented in the future,” officials said.
Berlin homeowner Patricia Dufendach called the event, “A wonderful, well attended meeting.” She said she was pleased with the amount of handout information available and that the agency was making its officials available to discuss how the proposals would specifically affect the local area. She suggested that it would also be helpful for the agency to provide information that could help people to learn more about managing stormwater in their communities.
FEMA is proposing changes to its flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) that will essentially remove nearly 10,000 property parcels from being included in classified flood zones—from the current total of 25,964 parcels to 16,283 parcels (37 percent reduction) under the preliminary proposal. Neither FEMA nor the county is planning direct notification the property owners affected by the changes.
According to analysis conducted by Worcester County and provided to Bayside Gazette, of the 1,991 parcels in the Town of Berlin shown on the maps, 220 parcels are currently designated as being in a floodplain. Under the proposed floodplain maps that total would shrink to 116 parcels, a 47 percent reduction in the required flood insurance coverage area.
The county analysis further showed that of the 8,888 parcels in Ocean Pines shown on the maps. Under the proposed floodplain maps that total would shrink the required flood insurance coverage area by 42 percent, from the 6,150 parcels currently designated as being in a floodplain to 3,553 parcels, according to officials.