Some 35,000 additional homes and businesses in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and suburban Westchester County will likely fall under the new federally-designated flood zones being drafted by FEMA. The preliminary maps, which will not go into effect for another two years (pending City Council approval), will result in steep flood insurance premiums for tens of thousands of property owners. They'll also impact new zoning codes, allowing homeowners to rebuild to prepare for flooding, making changes such as raising homes on pylons.
Most of the properties in the expanded flood zones, which now include wide swaths of Brooklyn's shoreline and neighborhoods like Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, would have to be raised three to six feet or face much higher insurance premiums. Other property owners with federally-backed mortgages will now be required to buy flood insurance. FEMA officials tell the Times that, for example, "owners of a $250,000 home with a ground floor built four feet below sea level could pay up to $9,500 a year for flood insurance, compared with $427 for homes built three feet above the flood line."
The expanded flood zones represent the first new change to the federal-issued flood zones in 30 years, and will double the number of properties considered at risk for flooding. FEMA was already in the process of revising them before Hurricane Sandy struck, but the agency has expedited the process in hopes of affecting how properties are rebuilt. (The new Manhattan and north Brooklyn flood zones will be released next month.) However, a FEMA rep also tells the Times, "We're not taking into consideration any future climate change."
Mayor Bloomberg's office is preparing an executive order that will change zoning codes in the new flood zones, enabling property owners to make renovations in advance of future flooding. And FEMA says that homeowners with federally backed insurance policies could be eligible for an additional $30,000 to help rebuild in accordance with the new codes. "We owe it to people to be honest and make them understand what their risks are while they're making rebuilding decisions," a FEMA rep tells the Wall Street Journal.
But Nicole Malliotakis, a state Assemblywoman who represents hard-hit Staten Island, tells the Times, "There is already so much of a financial burden being placed on those people trying to rebuild their lives. This adds to the confusion, and it adds to the financial burden. Raise your home to what the FEMA maps tell you you need to, or pay a substantial premium for flood insurance.”
You can enter your address on FEMA's website to see if your home falls within the new flood zones.
