Changes to flood plain map may be costly for Franklin County property owners [Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.]

Aug. 17--Some Franklin County property owners may have to begin investing in flood insurance, while others may be allowed to cancel their policies next year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently released preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps for municipalities in Franklin County, which include changes to flood plains last established in 1978.

When the new map becomes effective next summer, some residents may find that their property lies within the new flood plain, according to Dave Bollinger, FEMA's mitigation outreach coordinator. Others may no longer be located in a flood plain at all.

"We've been finding in many places that it sort of evens out," Bollinger said.

What it is and why

Flood Insurance Rate Maps are developed and used by FEMA to help determine who must buy flood insurance and how much their annual coverage will cost.

In many places across the country, maps haven't been updated in 20 years or more, Bollinger said. Since many of the nation's flood plains were last mapped, the technology available to predict flood activity has improved significantly.

The current mapping project began after "Congress noticed in 2002 that the cost of disasters kept climbing and more people were not being mapped into the flood plain," Bollinger said.

Changes to the flood plain are primarily due to the improvement in mapping technology and differences in topography, he said.

In some cases, people who live along small tributaries will find themselves included for the first time in the flood plain, according to Greene Township Engineer Greg Lambert.

"There are areas that we didn't previously know were flood plains and now we can actually see that they are. It's because the mapping provided to us is more detailed and much more accurate," Lambert said.

Bollinger said Franklin County's maps will tentatively go into effect in July.

In the meantime, individual municipalities are being asked by FEMA to compile a list of property owners who will be affected and notify them that the maps are available for review, he said.

Potential effects

Chambersburg Planning and Zoning Administrator Phil Wolgemuth said there are roughly 260 borough property owners within what is currently known as the "100-year" flood plain. In FEMA's new maps, the same designation will be known as the Special Flood Hazard Area.

Properties falling with that designation have a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding each year, according to FEMA.

The borough has not yet estimated the potential new number of affected properties, but Wolgemuth said he doesn't expect it to change dramatically.

If a home or business falls within the flood plain, and it has a federally backed mortgage, the owner must buy flood insurance, Bollinger said.

Flood insurance, which is underwritten by private insurers and provided through FEMA, can cost "as little as $180 per year or more than $1,700," Bollinger said. The expense is based on a number of factors, including the degree of risk, type of building construction and the proximity to a potential flood source.

Based on his preliminary review, Wolgemuth, said there is one particular area on the borough map that raises questions to ask FEMA.

Located south of Mill Road near the borough boundary is an area that may be added to the flood plain. Some properties within the Progress Village housing development might be affected, Wolgemuth said.

J. Edward Uglow of DELM Developers LLC, the company behind Progress Village, said Friday that he was recently made aware of the potential flood plain changes. He declined to discuss the issue until he had more opportunity to learn about the potential impact.

Representatives of Franklin County's municipalities will meet with FEMA officials next week to discuss the preliminary maps, Bollinger said. During the meeting, Wolgemuth intends to raise questions about the potential effects at Progress Village.

Questions welcome

Wolgemuth said anyone with property along the Conococheague Creek or Falling Spring is welcome to call him at 261-3232.

"If you don't live close to the stream, it most likely doesn't impact you or your property," he said.

Likewise, people elsewhere in Franklin County who believe they may be affected should contact their borough or township office, Bollinger said.

"The more information we can share here in the preliminary stage, the better," Wolgemuth said.

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Jim Tuttle can be reached at [email protected] or at 262-4754.

Taking a risk

Tom Kalathas, co-owner of the Historic Texas Lunch restaurant in Chambersburg said his business lies in the "100-year" flood plain, but he has not carried flood insurance since 1994.

Once the building was paid for and they no longer had to worry about their mortgage company's insurance requirements, Kalathas and his brother chose not to renew their flood coverage. He estimated that they paid about $2,000 each year when they were insuring the building against flooding.

"It's too expensive," Kalathas said. "You take a risk."

The restaurant, which stands a stone's throw from the Conococheague Creek, only suffered serious flooding once, he said. That was in 1972, when there was about 4 feet of water in the dining room.

"We lost everything. The building was still standing, but that was about it," Kalathas said.

Why and how to get insurance

According to FEMA, a flood that brings 2 inches of water into an average home can cost the owner about $7,800, and the average flood claim has amounted to more than $33,000 over the past 10 years.

Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968, because private homeowners insurance companies do not cover flooding.

"The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters and business owners if their community participates in the NFIP. Participating communities agree to adopt and enforce ordinances that meet or exceed FEMA requirements to reduce the risk of flooding," according to the NFIP website.

Licensed property insurance brokers can underwrite flood insurance properties on behalf of FEMA.

More information about flood insurance and the dangers of flooding can be found at http://www.floodsmart.gov.

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Copyright (c) 2010, Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.

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