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Flood insurance debacle

Steve

Well-known member
I often here many complain about flood insurance.. and I often agree..

I had also heard so many stories of homes not rebuilt after Katrina.. and heard liberals crying about the area never recovering...

now I understand why... even if your home wasn't destroyed by flood waters. you still have to rebuild to new standards.

in my situation.. my home is in a flood area.. and while water has been at my door step,.. I have never had a claim in 27 years..

with the new rules adopted by Christie, I have two choices.. raise my home.. which is impossible or pay a huge premium. which few could afford.. (as much as 31,000 a year).. I am literately on the border,.. the west half of my house in one zone,.. and the east in another less costly zone.

with the increased cost.. even selling my home now would be impossible..

most if not all I have talked to say they are going to have to walk away.. or drop the flood insurance.

in NJ that amounts to 18% of the housing becomes unaffordable for most middle class families..



Christie’s backing of FEMA’s Shore rules raises worries

Shore houses that have been in working-class families for generations will be abandoned. Property values will spiral downward, leaving Shore towns' budgets in tatters.

That is the dire scenario painted by a growing coalition of federal, state, and local officials along the Jersey Shore after Gov. Christie's announcement last week that New Jersey would adopt the federal government's preliminary floodplain maps - which would effectively require houses along large swaths of the Shore to be elevated to protect against future storm surges.

"FEMA is almost condemning properties the way they're handling this. They need to get their feet on the ground in the real world."

The federal maps, which are not expected to be made final for two years, determine federal flood insurance rates, and come as scientists project rising sea levels and worsening storm patterns in years to come.

But the prospect of having to lift up homes along New Jersey's barrier islands and coastal communities - in some cases seven feet off the ground atop concrete pilings - is bucking up against the financial ability of residents to meet the new standards and fears of a wider impact.

Christie's announcement, will technically only applicable to new coastal properties or those that have suffered damage beyond 50 percent of their value, has made real a process that until last week seemed a distant possibility.

my home is concrete block and was built in 1927,.. it can't be raised up.

but the worst part is that no one has any answers,.. those who already rebuilt are screwed,.

and those who haven't may not be able to.. which is what needs to be addressed.. now, not in two years after they figure out the rules..

by some accounts the new flood zones will include about 40% of the homes in the state..

I now understand why it took so long for Katrine to rebuild.. no one knows the rules... let alone the implication of the rules..
 

Steve

Well-known member
Panic has turned to anger.

Homeowners looking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance to rebuild their homes are learning they won’t get the immediate aid they expected.

And maybe no aid at all.

"I’m livid. The entire contents of my home is on the front lawn, but we do not qualify," Highlands resident Kathy Self asked. "This is the way we start out? This is the bureaucracy?"

While the federal agency has approved $210 million in financial assistance — mostly in vouchers for hotel roomsaid for rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed last week isn’t flowing as smoothly.

FEMA won’t award grants for damage to second homes. It won’t duplicate benefits paid by private insurance, so homeowners must settle claims before FEMA will evaluate, said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. And most of its recovery aid comes in the form of low-interest disaster loans, he said.

None of this was explained to. After registering with FEMA, an agent came to her house, assessed the damage, and gave her a claim number to check on the next day. She called the FEMA hotline as directed and heard this brief statement: "You do not qualify."

Pillot said most of the confusion about FEMA coverage and assistance results from a misunderstanding of FEMA’s mission.

"FEMA is just temporary assistance,"

and meanwhile.. Christie is giving really bad advice..!

Christie: Don't Wait to Elevate, Rebuild; Grant Money on the Way

Some have called on residents to wait for FEMA to put out revised, preliminary maps this summer before they raise their homes, since those maps may rezone certain neighborhoods and scale back the type of construction or height needed to comply in order to receive affordable flood insurance rates.

But Christie said waiting could cost residents the chance to score grants that could help pay for house raising, at least for primary residents.

The governor said Tuesday that a grant program funded by the federal government could be in place at the state level as early as late March.

"We want people to make a commitment to stay in these communities," he said, and residents deserve a "helping hand."

and if they rebuild,.. and don't elevate their homes.. they could be hit with financial ruin..

on one hand you have FEMA trying to stop people from rebuilding in flood prone areas (which is wise.)

but they can't say what areas will be on the maps out in two years..

and then we have a governor telling people to rebuild after accepting the preliminary flood maps.. that will take two years to finalize..
and if they decide your home is in one of the flood prone zones.. you can either raise it or pay for it..

his advice is as bad as Bidens..
 

Whitewing

Well-known member
My dad always said, build in a flood zone and eventually you'll get flooded.

Most of the New Orleans is hopeless as most of it is already below sea level. In Metairie, well away from the river but bordering the swamps, pilings are driven into the ground before the concrete slab is poured. Every year or two thereafter the homeowners have to haul in dirt (or mud as they call it) to build up their lots. I recall seeing one home that hadn't received its yearly mud quotient and it looked like it was built on piers. I could see all the way through to the other side of the house underneath.

In the end, Mother Nature is a cruel and unforgiving mother.

At least we have a King who's vowed to stop those rising sea levels. :roll:
 

cutterone

Well-known member
Well I've posted my opinions on FEMA and flood insurance before and as far as I'm concerned FEMA can go to he*ll. First it's none of their business where I build if it meets local codes for septic, etc and if I wish to build in a swamp that's my business. It should be between you and your lender and if they require it then so be it.
I personally don't have a lot of simpathy for those who build on the shoreline or next to a river but it's their choice and it's not everyone else's responsibility to rebuild it back for them. It's called FREEDOM and PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
 

Steve

Well-known member
but it's their choice and it's not everyone else's responsibility to rebuild it back for them.

I think you might be missing the point... FEMA is dragging it's feet on the new maps.. to the tune of 25 plus years..

the state gov. Christie is encouraging people to rebuild..

some folk who don't know or understand the implications are already rebuilding..

they will see "huge" flood insurance costs increases..

these people should be told NOW that the maps are not final and rebuilding could cost them their homes later.

instead,,, FEMA is silent.. and every one is being misled...

and when 40% of the state finds out they have been misled.. who will end up paying then.. my bet is the taxpayer again...
 
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