The Flood Insurance Rate Maps used by FEMA are based on antiquated data and obsolete models. As a result, the U.S. government downplays flood risks for homeowners across the country—but especially in mountainous regions like Appalachia.
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The Flood Insurance Rate Maps used by FEMA are based on antiquated data and obsolete models. As a result, the U.S. government downplays flood risks for homeowners across the country—but especially in mountainous regions like Appalachia.
A review of extreme flooding events this summer showed FEMA's flood maps are failing to fully inform Americans of flood risk in rural and urban areas.
Classic example of bureaucratic inertia.
Excerpt from this Washington Post story:
A Washington Post investigation uncovered communities throughout the country where FEMA’s maps are failing to warn Americans about flood risk. As climate change accelerates, it is increasing types of flooding that the maps aren’t built to include. The resulting picture leaves homeowners, prospective buyers, renters and cities in the dark about the potential dangers they face, which insurance they should buy and what kinds of development should be restricted.
The examination surveyed extreme flooding events between June and September across the country, by analyzing hundreds of videos and photographs, speaking with local residents, consulting experts, and interviewing local and federal officials.
In some instances, like the deadly July flooding in eastern Kentucky, the maps did convey higher risk where The Post verified visual material. However, in places like Red Lodge, Mont.; St. Louis; Dallas; and Summerville, Ga., the maps fell short. Fewer than 1 percent of single-family homes in these areas hold flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the primary source of flood insurance for residential properties, according to an analysis of FEMA data conducted by the Seattle-based actuarial firm Milliman.
FEMA officials have testified to Congress that over 40 percent of NFIP claims made in 2017 to 2019 were for properties outside official flood hazard zones, or in areas the agency had yet to map.
FEMA stresses the maps are not meant to be predictive and that residents considering buying flood insurance should take into account other aspects of the overall risk to the property.
“Climate has changed so much that the maps aren’t going to keep up for some time,” said W. Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator under President Barack Obama. “They are not designed for extreme rainfall events.”
FEMA says it wants to move beyond the “binary” model of flood risk, and last year it introduced a more sophisticated method of pricing flood insurance. But its maps still guide regulations and planning.
FEMA is required to reassess flood maps every five years, but new ones take an average of seven years to finish, officials have told Congress. The agency works with local and state officials during the revision process, and communities may resist expanding designated flood zones because it adds costs and can hamper development.
Dynamic maps of sea level rise. Will global warming affect you?
fun to play with,
probability is scary tho.
Another Op-ed on Flood Maps Misses the Point
Another Op-ed on Flood Maps Misses the Point
I have nearly 35 years of professional experience in South Louisiana hydrology, including extensive work on flood risk for the Amite River Basin since 2001. First of all, kudos to The Advocate for the great work in covering the flood and flood risk information over the last two weeks. Unfortunately Mr. Robert Taylor’s letter “Flood mapping needs to change” which appeared on Monday August 29th…
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