New Flood Maps Anger Residents

Sept. 30--Jeff Millard's house sits far uphill from a trickle of a stream, in a spot he believes is safe from flooding.

"Even during Hurricane Agnes, the water didn't come close," he said of the destructive 1972 storm.

But the Federal Emergency Management Agency feels differently about his Stony Creek Mills property and in July ruled that his home sits in a flood zone.

As a result, federal law requires that Millard purchase flood insurance. His mortgage lender, Wells Fargo, ordered him to cover the home's entire replacement value, meaning he's facing an annual bill of $2,160.

That's more than he can afford, he said.

"FEMA and Wells Fargo have turned my life upside down," he said.

It's all part of a congressionally mandated remapping of the nation's flood zones, an ongoing process. As the environment, weather and landscape change, so does flood risk, and new technology can better gauge that risk, FEMA officials said.

So the remapped flood zones will help homeowners protect themselves, save taxpayers money for disaster relief and guide local officials in deciding where to allow future development, FEMA insurance specialist Richard Sobota said.

About half of Pennsylvania's counties have had their flood maps redone, and in Berks the changes came July 3 when FEMA changed the designation on more than 3,000 Berks parcels it now considers to be in flood zones, or at least touching them.

Hundreds of Berks homes that weren't previously located in flood zones now are, and vice versa. Homes in flood zones that are financed through federally backed mortgages are required to be covered. Homeowners can get that coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Those policies can cost more than $2,000 a year, and most have a deductible of several thousand dollars. If homeowners don't enter the program, their mortgage companies will assign them more expensive coverage.

Process questioned

Millard is among the local homeowners who believe the remapping process is flawed. He talked about another property so high on Mount Penn that it seems impervious to flooding, but it, too, is in a flood zone.

"It's just ridiculous," he said. "Even a 100-year flood wouldn't reach it. It would take a biblical flood."

FEMA isn't notifying property owners whose flood zone status has changed, instead urging municipalities do so. Most Berks municipalities aren't contacting those residents, though, instead allowing them to come in and review maps showing where the flood zones lie.

So most homeowners are learning of their flood status change -- and their need for flood insurance -- from their mortgage companies.

Clint Renninger got the news as he was closing on the South Heidelberg Township home he bought from his mother-in-law.

Now he's paying $1,500 a year for flood insurance on the home, which was built in 1979 but never had water damage until August 2011 when remnants of Hurricane Irene hit the area. That storm left about an inch of water on one side of the basement, causing less than $2,000 damage. Since Renninger's deductible is $5,000, his flood insurance wouldn't have reimbursed him.

"If I stay here 30 years, I'll pay $45,000 for insurance and I'll never use it," he said. "Like a lot of middle-class families, we're strapped, and this is a huge added expense."

What bothers Renninger most is that his lender is requiring him to insure the home's full value.

"It's not like I live on the ocean or the Mississippi River, where my whole house could get washed away," he said. "It's not right."

Defending the policy

Municipalities were required to adopt the flood zone changes in order for residents to qualify for the national flood insurance program, which FEMA operates, underwriting the policies and getting a percentage of the premiums.

FEMA officials said they know that many are upset that their homes are now in flood zones, especially those whose homes have never flooded or whose properties are far from waterways. Some don't understand how they are in flood zones though their neighbors are not.

But the new maps are more accurate than the previous maps drawn up about 30 years ago, FEMA officials said.

For the new maps, FEMA used better technology, up-to-date weather data, topographical surveys and aerial photos. It also considered construction that altered the landscape, causing water to run in different directions.

"We're looking at the risk going forward, not past risk," Sobota said.

Though homeowners won't appreciate another bill, having flood insurance is in their best interests, Sobota said.

"It's actually a favor to them, so they can be fully covered, and stay where they are (if they get flooded)," Sobota said.

"It's one more step in being better prepared," said spokesman Nick Morici. "Even if you've never been flooded, you could still be at risk from a storm surge, and the investment up front could save you money down the line."

Sobota said the program also saves taxpayer money, since the government would otherwise be forced to reimburse flood victims who are uninsured. He admitted the process isn't perfect, and that FEMA will make some mapping mistakes.

Those who are unhappy have the right to appeal. Millard has considered that step, but for now he's scrambling to refinance his mortgage with a lender that would only require him to insure his home up to the amount he owes, saving him about $1,300 a year.

He believes his home's value has dropped because of the flood zone designation and maintains it will never be flooded, despite FEMA's risk calculations.

"It's outrageous," he said. "Water runs downhill. I don't think FEMA realizes that."

Contact Mike Urban: 610-371-5023 or murban@readingeagle.com.

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