Move over Noah Webster. It looks like West Hartford might be paying homage to a different kind of Noah. You know - The one with the ark.
In case you haven't heard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has redrawn and revised federal maps of flood-prone places in Connecticut, as well as across the country. This has some property owners concerned and angry because they will now be required by their mortgage companies to obtain flood insurance, which can be quite expensive, especially in this economy. The cost can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars each year. The maps took effect last fall.
FEMA believes its new maps accurately reflect boundaries of destructive 1-in-a-100-year floods and that the additional insurance is necessary for protection. Flood insurance is also required if a private mortgage includes any federal financing.
In the Hartford Courant's recent article they reported that "David Mendelsohn of FEMA's Boston regional office said, "There's no truth to opinions voiced by some speakers that map changes were done to help cash-strapped insurance companies." But some people may be very skeptical of that comment.
WFSB also had a report about the FEMA informational meeting. They reported that "about 100 West Hartford properties that the town said are affected by FEMA's new maps."
One thing is for certain, if you have property anywhere near Trout Brook then you might be looking at higher insurance rates.
Back in December 2007 residents were able to get a break on their insurance, now it looks like some will get soaked as their properties are now considered within the new layout of the flood plain.
Here is FEMA's list of CT communities participating in the National Flood Insurance program. You can look at West Hartford's Flood map information here at their CIS homepage.
If affected property owners don't agree with FEMA that their properties should be designated within a flood zone, then there is an appeal process which was explained to residents at the meeting. More information can be found here.
