Rising seas pose threat to homes [The Brunswick News, Ga.]

Oct. 29--YULEE, Fla. -- Forecasters cannot say how much higher sea levels will be during the next century, but they told public officials and citizens from southeast Georgia and northeast Florida at a workshop Monday that the water will rise.

Sue Hopfensperger, a flood zone specialist who works in Florida and Coastal Georgia, said statistics show a homeowner has more than a 25 percent chance to experience serious flood damage before a typical 30-year home mortgage is paid off.

Flood insurance is required for homeowners with federally backed mortgages, but the rates can vary greatly. People in high-hazard areas can pay up to $2,000 annually for insurance through a private carrier.

The good news is property owners in communities that enact construction ordinances more stringent than minimum standards will see lower rates. Residents in communities with the most stringent ordinances can see up to a 45 percent discount in flood insurance.

Sam Medlock, policy and partnerships program manager for the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said an estimated $10 billion a year is paid in flood losses, mostly for property losses during river flooding or hurricane storm surges.

Flood losses are largely "acts of man" as a result of building in flood-prone areas, Medlock said. But changes are coming that will reduce the insurance risk for providers and raise the cost for people who choose to live in flood-prone areas.

Federal legislation, called the Water Resources Development Act, can de-authorize certain projects and accelerate environmental reviews as a way to create financial solvency for flood insurance.

Owners of houses in flood zones built or sold after this past Oct. 1 are going to pay higher rates that could be double or more from previous rates, Medlock said.

Currently, a preferred-risk policy is available for homeowners who qualify, but when they sell their homes the new owners will have to pay full-risk rates.

"We've got to stop incentivizing development in risk areas," Medlock said.

Chuck Hopkinson, director of the Georgia Sea Grant College Program, said sea levels are rising across the world.

Regardless of why it's happening, a political subject that continues to be hotly debated, the fact is sea levels are expected to continue to rise, he said. "We're moving into some uncharted territory," Hopkinson said.

Sea levels could rise anywhere from 1 foot to 10 feet the next 150 years. A 6-foot rise in sea level would cause major problems in downtown Brunswick. "Essentially, downtown Brunswick is toast with 6 feet of sea level rise," Hopkinson said.

-- Reporter Gordon Jackson writes about Camden County and other local topics. Contact him at [email protected], on Facebook or at 464-7655.

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