Reading Township, Adams County -
Living next to a lake or stream can be very peaceful and of course beautiful. But, dozens of local waterfront property owners are now dealing with a big headache because of where they live.
Some property owners in Lake meade, in Adams County, are now being told they must purchase flood insurance. It stems from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) re-mapping of flood plain zones across the country.
Fran Guillemette has lived along the water in Lake Meade since 2002. During heavy rains and storms, water has never come close to his property. The same goes for his neighbor, Charlie Law, who experienced Hurricane Agnes, nicknamed the 100 year flood, back in 1972.
Law says, "when that took place, they hadn't seen so much devastation ever in recorded history at that point, and here we had no residual damage whatsoever."
The Federal Government isn't waiting for that to happen. FEMA says in 2004, Congress ordered the map re-evaluation.
David Bollinger, a FEMA Mitigation Outreach Specialist, based in Philadelphia, says, "we've found the past is no precursor to the future, just because it didn't flood there yesterday doesn't mean it's not going to flood there today."
Now, some new and different properties are listed in the flood plain zone and banks are notifying homeowners that they must purchase insurance. Mortgage lenders can require the insurance, the amount is based on the value of the home.
Guillemette says, "to incur a couple thousand dollars a year for additional insurance is a hardship."
David Bollinger says, "there's a strong chance that the lake (Lake Meade) could flood, now nobody in the flood plain ever wants to believe they're in a flood plain until the water's flowing through their house."
Some of the property owners blame Hurricane Katrina for the re-mapping situation. They say the National Flood Insurance Program is in major debt since Katrina and this is a way to make money. FEMA denies that claim and says the re-mapping started a full year before Katrina made landfall.
For more information about flood plain zones and where your home falls on the map, check out www.fema.gov.
Some property owners in Lake meade, in Adams County, are now being told they must purchase flood insurance. It stems from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) re-mapping of flood plain zones across the country.
Fran Guillemette has lived along the water in Lake Meade since 2002. During heavy rains and storms, water has never come close to his property. The same goes for his neighbor, Charlie Law, who experienced Hurricane Agnes, nicknamed the 100 year flood, back in 1972.
Law says, "when that took place, they hadn't seen so much devastation ever in recorded history at that point, and here we had no residual damage whatsoever."
The Federal Government isn't waiting for that to happen. FEMA says in 2004, Congress ordered the map re-evaluation.
David Bollinger, a FEMA Mitigation Outreach Specialist, based in Philadelphia, says, "we've found the past is no precursor to the future, just because it didn't flood there yesterday doesn't mean it's not going to flood there today."
Now, some new and different properties are listed in the flood plain zone and banks are notifying homeowners that they must purchase insurance. Mortgage lenders can require the insurance, the amount is based on the value of the home.
Guillemette says, "to incur a couple thousand dollars a year for additional insurance is a hardship."
David Bollinger says, "there's a strong chance that the lake (Lake Meade) could flood, now nobody in the flood plain ever wants to believe they're in a flood plain until the water's flowing through their house."
Some of the property owners blame Hurricane Katrina for the re-mapping situation. They say the National Flood Insurance Program is in major debt since Katrina and this is a way to make money. FEMA denies that claim and says the re-mapping started a full year before Katrina made landfall.
For more information about flood plain zones and where your home falls on the map, check out www.fema.gov.
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