Thousands of residents across New York and the country are finding the new FEMA maps that indicate flood zones to be incorrect.
So What’s the Big Deal?
If your house is deemed to be in a flood-zone, you’ll be required by law to purchase flood insurance, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars a year. This is big complaint amongst those who are already struggling to pay their mortgage.
The flood maps are also affecting cities that are trying to attract more growth and residents. If a city is in a flood plain, a person looking to buy a home is most likely going to look at homes where it’s not required to purchase flood insurance.
Other Flood Map Problems
What is really causing the blood pressure of many people to rise is an incorrect map of their area. All over the U.S. city officials are finding errors on maps. For example, a stream clearly seen in an aerial photo or map is located in a totally different spot on the FEMA map. Other FEMA maps include landmarks and items such as drainage ditches that no longer exist. Essentially, old maps that are now out-dated were converted into a digital format to represent present-day areas.
The process to appeal the findings on a FEMA flood map can cost cities thousands of dollars in surveying costs to prove they aren’t in a flood zone. The process to get a map changed can take well over a year.
Flood insurance is always something home and business owners should consider, whether they’re in a flood zone or not. One never knows when a pipe will burst and cause damage that “regular” insurance won’t cover.
As rains pour down this Sunday, up to 2-3 extra inches of rain are expected to fall on Monday. The wet weather has prompted the National Weather Service to issueflood and flash flood warningsfor several parts of the state, from Long Island into the western counties.
“MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL COMBINED WITH SNOW MELT MAY RESULT IN EXCESSIVE RUNOFF. RAIN IS EXPECTED TONIGHT…BEFORE TAPERING OFF MONDAY MORNING. ONE TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE.
EXPECT THE COMBINATION OF RUNOFF AND SNOW MELT TO CAUSE THE FASTER RESPONDING CREEKS TO RISE TONIGHT SHORTLY AFTER THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL. MANY OF THE CREEKS IN THE BUFFALO REGION WILL APPROACH BANKFULL BY MONDAY MORNING…POTENTIALLY IMPACTING THE MORNING COMMUTE. ALSO EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS…AND SMALL STREAMS TO RUN HIGH AS WELL.
RIVERS WILL RESPOND A BIT MORE SLOWLY…WITH POTENTIAL IMPACT FROM THESE DURING THE DAY MONDAY OR MONDAY EVENING.”
Being prepared for a rain storm is the first step in flood-damage protection for one’s home and business. Preparation should include the following:
Residents of Syracuse woke up this morning to unexpected snow. Syracuse.com reports the snowfall was unexpected: “The precipitation was caused by a weak cold front that really had no cold behind it but was strong enough to generate air lift and bring snow showers…” Snow flurries are expected to last through Wednesday.
