Thousands of Horry County properties added to flood zones

Feb. 23--BUCKSPORT -- When Harold Phillips looked over his postcard from Horry County Government on Tuesday morning, he wondered what impact the small paper would have on him.

The notice said his property could be affected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's recent updates to the flood zones in Horry County.

The message surprised the 68-year-old Bucksport native, who still lives in the small community nestled between U.S. 701 South and the Waccamaw River. He had heard stories from older residents about floods so bad that folks needed boats to get around, but that was long before the county improved its roads and drainage systems. Phillips had never experienced flooding in Bucksport. Not during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 or even during October's deluge, when many Waccamaw River communities found themselves underwater.

"I've never seen it," he said. "We had a lot of rain, but we didn't flood."

Yet Phillips' land is among the more than 18,000 Horry County properties being added to federally-drawn flood zones, a change that will force many homeowners without flood insurance to purchase that coverage.

FEMA officials recently revised the flood maps for the area, adding more details and data. The updates factor in construction and development, shifts in the floodplain and environmental changes.

County officials on Friday sent out notices to 65,000 property owners whose land has traditionally fallen in high-risk flood zones. The notices also went to those whose land is being added to the flood zones. FEMA and county officials have scheduled special meetings on March 2 and March 3 to discuss the new maps. Residents can also check horrycounty.org to see if their properties will be affected.

While the changes will impact areas throughout the county, officials said Bucksport and Conway are seeing many homes added to the flood zone.

As a group of elderly women left the Bucksport Senior Center Tuesday afternoon, a few asked manager Debra Alston if she had received a postcard from the county. When she told them she hadn't, one woman pulled hers from her purse.

"They're very concerned about it," Alston said.

County officials have already begun receiving calls about the proposed changes. As of Tuesday morning, more than 60 people had phoned the code enforcement office.

"It's going to be a big issue," said Steve Gosnell, the assistant county administrator over infrastructure and regulation. "There's a lot of changes, a lot of impact to folks in low-lying areas."

The greatest impact to affected residents will be in their insurance costs.

Standard homeowners' insurance policies don't cover flood damage. But by law, federally regulated mortgage lenders must require flood insurance for properties with a high risk of flooding.

"People are going to be required to get flood insurance," County Administrator Chris Eldridge said. "This is all about money."

How much a homeowner's flood insurance costs depends on several factors, including whether someone lives close to the river or in a low-lying area, said Faye Bradham, principal agent with Bradham Insurance Agency in Conway.

"We all live in a flood zone," she said. "Some of the zones are better than others."

County officials said about 18,000 properties are being added to high-risk flood zones, including many homes.

If those homeowners don't have flood insurance, Bradham said, those with mortgages will be required to purchase it.

Although banks won't issue loans for houses not covered by flood insurance, residents who own their homes outright or paid cash for them have the option to decline that insurance.

However, Bradham said, she requires people turning down flood insurance to sign an agreement saying they chose not to take a flood policy even though they were in a flood zone.

"It's just common sense," she said. "You live in a flood zone, you need to buy it."

Residents affected by the recent flood zone changes can appeal FEMA's findings, but that process requires providing technical and engineering data that proves a home isn't in a flood-prone area.

"You can't just say 'I don't like it,' " Eldridge said. "You have to pay an engineer to challenge what they have. So it's not an easy process."

Although some homeowners may suspect the expanded zones stem from October's flooding, county officials insist FEMA has been modernizing flood maps for more than a decade.

"It did not start yesterday," said Harold Edge with the county's code enforcement division. "A lot of our folks in the county are probably going to think that this is the result of the floods that began in October of last year. But I'll assure you this started a long time before that."

The fall flooding, however, has forced many homeowners, even those not inside a high-risk zone, to consider flood insurance.

"[It's] something that everybody is worried about," Horry County Councilman Johnny Vaught said. "This rain just keeps coming. You walk out in the yard and pour a bucket of water out and it's still sitting there two days later because the ground's so saturated."

Karl Moore, a 53-year-old truck driver, said he's recently been looking for homeowners insurance for the Bucksport house he bought with cash.

While he's not required to have flood coverage because he has no loan, Phillips said he's thinking about buying some.

"I want to make sure I'm secure," he said. "I need to get insurance anyways."

Should anyone seek flood insurance, Bradham cautioned that any policies written won't take effect for 30 days. The time to take action, she said, is now, when the county notice arrives. Not when water is lapping at the backdoor.

"You need to be doing something," she said. "You can't just let it go and say, 'No, I didn't know about it.' "

Charles D. Perry: 843-626-0218, @TSN_CharlesPerr

If you go

Horry County officials will host two open houses next week to discuss FEMA's new flood maps and answer questions from residents. The first meeting will be 4-7 p.m. March 2 at the Horry County Government and Justice Center, 1301 2nd Ave., Conway. The second will be 4-7 p.m. March 3 at the Landmark Resort, 1501 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach. Experts will be available to talk about the maps and answer questions about building permits, engineering, flood insurance and other related topics.

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