Flood Plain Map Revisions Raise Concerns

SNOW HILL- As the date for revisions of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) approaches in Worcester, the County Commissioners are doubling-down on keeping property owners in the loop, fearing that the issue isn’t entirely understood by most residents.
“I’m concerned that some of those folks might not get the message and really not know that this could drastically affect their properties,” said County Commission President Bud Church.
New FIRMS have been on the county’s radar for months. Staff reviewed and commented on preliminary FIRMs back in August. There is some concern about the impact that revised maps will have on property owners, with Ed Tudor, director of Development Review and Permitting, estimating that some 10,000 properties will be removed from the 100- to 500-year floodplain. Because the county has some doubt that every property removed from the floodplain will be safe from flooding there are major fears about what the FIRMs will mean for flood insurance in Worcester.
Commissioner Virgil Shockley wanted to know the effect the FIRMs would have on properties that have been financed through banks, with mandatory flood insurance part of the loan agreement. If those properties are removed from the floodplain but still at risk for flood damage, Shockley was curious as to whether banks would still require the insurance. He also wondered how properties would even know if they were removed from the flood plain under the revisions.
“I think that’s part of our responsibility, to notify the people of Worcester County about what’s happening,” Church answered, “and how it’s going to affect their property, who’s going to be in and who’s going to be out.”
As for Shockley’s other question, Tudor pointed out that banks still have the prerogative to require flood insurance as a condition for loans. Even if a property is out of the flood plain according to the FIRMs, a bank can still require insurance and often does so for areas that they believe are at risk.
“The bank can certainly make that call if they want,” said Tudor. “They can require someone to carry [flood insurance] even if they’re not on the map.”
In fact, even if the insurance isn’t tied to a loan and their property has been removed from the floodplain, the commissioners are urging residents to use their better judgment about keeping the protection.
Due to the density of the changes, the commissioners are looking this week for a quick way to grab resident’s attention.
“Is there a possibility that this complex issue can be reduced to very simple questions,” asked Commissioner Judy Boggs, “and answers that maybe we can buy an ad for all of the papers and give some Q and A and then announce the hearing at the bottom of it?”
There is a basic template of information that FEMA has made available. Tudor admitted that he was leaning more towards some kind of advertisement across media to update residents about ongoing FIRM developments. The other option that FEMA suggested would be to send out personal notifications to all 26,000 properties in the current floodplain. Tudor doesn’t see that as practical.
“I recommend that we do not do individual notifications for several reasons,” he told the commission, citing both the huge number of properties and the fact that the county hasn’t used individual notification for similar issues in the past.
Many of the affected properties are also vacation homes that are most likely empty, Tudor added. But the commissioners decided that some kind of mass notification needs to be attempted.
“There’s always that conversation about transparency in government,” said Commissioner Louise Gulyas, “and I really think that we should pursue this and get it out there somehow, either by postcard or through the papers.”
Shockley was in favor of contacting banks directly and encouraging them to reach out to property owners. 
“How many lenders actually lend the money and wouldn’t it be a better idea to send a notice to the lenders who lent the money?” he asked.
Tudor assured him that banks are following the FIRM discussion closely and will take appropriate steps. It might be a better idea to target the outlying areas with specific notification, suggested Church. Most of the areas will be kept in the loop by their homeowners associations but some on the fringe could be sent letters of notice.
The solution that the commission eventually decided on was to take out advertisements in local newspapers notifying residents of the impending changes and encouraging them to attend an upcoming public information meeting at Stephen Decatur Middle School on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 from 6 to 9 p.m. Representatives from FEMA will be available to explain the maps and the mapping process and what effect they may have on properties in Worcester County.