Homeowners being told they now live in a flood zone would have five years to buy mandatory flood insurance under a bill introduced this week by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Walberg, R-Tipton, said delaying the insurance requirement will give homeowners, local governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency time to question and re-evaluate recently redrawn floodplain boundaries.
"The maps appear to be extremely inaccurate and that's where the upheaval comes from," Walberg said. "All I'm saying is that because of huge numbers of concerns from Calhoun and Jackson counties, for instance, from people who have never had to buy flood insurance and have no records of any floods, why in the world are they paying $1,200 or $1,500 or more for flood insurance?"
Les Thomas, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Michigan
, said it's not known how many people will see their property's flood status change because of the map redo.
Engineers at the cities of Battle Creek and Marshall said the new maps did not bring major changes to floodplains within the cities.
The new maps go into effect on different dates in different counties. For Calhoun County, Thomas said the map goes in effect April 4, meaning properties within the floodplain would need to be insured by then. Thomas was not aware of Walberg's bill. Calls to FEMA's public affairs office were not returned.
Walberg's bill would offer some breathing room to Bellevue resident Keith Haley, who got a letter from his mortgage company last December saying he had 45 days to purchase flood insurance. Haley, 55, has lived in the same home since he was 8. He said the house sits about 136 feet from the Battle Creek River, and in more than 40 years, flooding has never been a problem.
Flood insurance through FEMA would cost $800 a year for a plan with a $5,000 deductible, Haley said, so he is still looking into other options.
Haley said he worries his money would go to paying for FEMA programs in other states, and he would welcome the five-year delay.
"It gives up more time to have better facts and also so FEMA can review their facts," he said. "It also gives people who are financially strapped right now more time to get their money together."
Barrett Newkirk can be reached at 966-0692 or bnewkirk@battlecreekenquirer.com.
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February 15, 2011 Kent Sholars 202-225-6276
Walberg Introduces Legislation to Stop Costly Mandate on HomeownersWashington, DC – Today, Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-7) introduced a critical piece of leg...islation that would prevent the implementation of a costly new federal mandate on homeowners. The bill, HR 700, is entitled the Floodplain Maps Moratorium Act, and it is being introduced in response to local concerns about the burdensome mandate voiced by many constituents in the Seventh District.
When enacted, this bill would force the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to delay for five years the present requirement for homeowners located within a newly-drawn floodplain map to purchase costly flood insurance through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA has been remapping floodplains for the past eight years, and many new homeowners have been included in 100-year floodplain zones due to faulty mapping methods. Even worse, homeowners often have little recourse for reprieve without incurring additional costs.
After introducing the bill, Congressman Tim Walberg stated, “I heard directly from my constituents about the negative impact these FEMA floodplain maps would create on their pocketbooks, and I believe this is a true violation of the rights named in the Declaration of Independence- namely liberty & happiness, which was defined as property. So today, I am introducing legislation to stop this costly new federal mandate. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to appeal a decision or be required to purchase costly flood insurance, this bill puts in place a commonsense approach to the creation of FEMA floodplain maps. I look forward to continuing to work with the affected communities and my colleagues in Congress to help make modifications to the maps that are reasonable and give property-owners more time to respond. The federal government is again over-reaching beyond what is appropriate, and this time it’s to the detriment of hard-working families during tough economic times.
