Mill Brook continues flood map fight

All 811 homes in the Mill Brook community are in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new high-risk flood zone, and civic leaders are fighting to reduce that number to zero.

The Valley Stream neighborhood behind the Green Acres Mall was put into the zone when new flood maps went into effect last September. Since then, community members have been turning to their civic leaders and local and federal officials for relief from annual insurance premiums of $1,000 or more.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who is running for re-election in the 4th Congressional District, spoke to residents on Oct. 12 at a Mill Brook Civic Association meeting. She detailed the efforts of representatives to offer residents some relief.

“This isn’t just happening here,” McCarthy said. “This is happening all over the country and it’s wrong, especially when you’re talking about working families.”

McCarthy said it is evident that there are inaccuracies in the maps. She noted that Valley Stream Central High School is supposed to be a safe place for people to go in a hurricane, yet there are homes in the adjacent neighborhood that are in the high-risk flood zone, as well as Hendrickson Park, directly behind the school. “That’s why we’re challenging the map,” she said.

McCarthy has sponsored a bill in the House of Representatives that would delay implementation of the new maps by five years, restoring homeowners to their old zone and old rates. The bill would also require insurance companies to accept payments of flood insurance premiums in installments. McCarthy said that one of the biggest complaints she has heard from residents is that they had to come up with a lot of money very quickly.

The bill passed the House but has yet to pass the Senate. McCarthy said that Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has also heard the complaints from Valley Stream residents, is committed to bringing the bill to a vote when Congress returns after the election.

Patricia Wilson, who lives on Heatherfield Road in Mill Brook, told McCarthy to keep fighting. “I hope that your voice will be loud in Congress,” Wilson said, “so we can get rid of this whole thing.”

McCarthy said that the purpose of the five-year moratorium is so FEMA officials can go back to the drawing board and do it right. She said FEMA officials fought the House on the bill, but it passed anyway.

Steve Bellamy, of Mill Brook, didn’t buy flood insurance before the maps went into effect because, he said, he didn’t think it was necessary in his neighborhood. But soon after, his mortgage company bought a policy for him, and he is now saddled with payments of $153 per month.

Bellamy said he appreciates the efforts of Schumer and McCarthy, but doesn’t think they have made the most important point. “We don’t need flood insurance at all,” he said, noting that FEMA officials have yet to identify a coastal flood that has ever hit Valley Stream.

At an Oct. 7 meeting at Central High School, FEMA officials said that the new flood maps are based on the latest scientific advancements and projections based on previous storms.

Residents can challenge the flood maps on an individual basis by hiring a surveyor to measure the elevation of their property. If the home is more than 11 feet above sea level, the new elevation standard in Valley Stream, it can be removed from the flood zone. However, homeowners have to bear the cost of a survey, which can be $600 to $800.

However, Mill Brook Civic Association leaders are seeking a reduced price for residents. President Marc Tenzer said that they are hoping to get five proposals from surveying firms, and have already received one. If at least 25 homes participate, Tenzer said, the fee could be less than half the normal cost. With 80 homes signing on, the price could drop further. “The more the merrier,” Tenzer said.

He explained that the cost of a survey isn’t a lot of money compared with what can be saved if a home is removed from the flood zone. Besides continuing to put pressure on their federal representatives, Tenzer said, the best course of action right now for homeowners is to take advantage of the opportunity to have their property surveyed for a reduced price.

He also said he would be willing to go to Washington to meet with the head of FEMA, and McCarthy said she would try to arrange that. “We want to talk to the top,” Tenzer said, “and we want to hear from them why they’re ripping us off.”