Flood map changes hurting homeowners

To the Editor: 

At a recent town hall meeting at the Valley Stream Village Hall, present were many residents of Valley Stream and adjacent communities affected by the changed flood maps instituted by FEMA. As is fairly well known at this point, these maps took areas of Long Island’s South Shore with no prior history of floods and categorized them as high risk areas. The effect of such a designation is the preposterously high increase of flood insurance premiums in those areas. The problem is magnified and amplified by the requirement that homeowners with balances on first or second mortgages must maintain flood insurance. 

At the meeting, a panel of FEMA representatives explained what is already well known by residents. They also defended the accuracy of their new maps, which were produced by planes at high altitudes using lasers to ascertain individual property elevations. It was clearly brought out that the procedure to appeal these scientific “phenomenal” maps requires individual property owners, at their own significant expense, to retain licensed surveyors and obtain certified elevation certificates of their property. It was brought out that several individuals have been successful in their appeals, but it was also brought out that the procedure and costs place a severe burden on many homeowners. 

What makes this entire scenario egregious are the following:

1) The FEMA categorization of properties at risk is based upon maps of questionable reliability that have already failed successful appellate challenges.

2) Appeals are complicated and expensive and are the burden of the homeowner, who has already been prejudged by FEMA laser maps.

3) Even homeowners without outstanding mortgages or equity credit lines will be confronted with their property’s designation, as high risk, when they or their heirs seek to sell the property. Prospective purchasers will insist that sellers reduce prices by the amount of flood insurance over the course of their mortgage. Example: reductions like $60,000. They will tell the sellers that they can buy a comparable house not designated by FEMA to be at risk.