Push continues to delay Quincy's flood maps
- quincymakingwaves
- May 30, 2014
- 3 min read
QUINCY – Quincy’s new flood maps are scheduled to go live in a little more than a week, but state and local officials are still pushing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to delay them so the city reaps the benefits of a relief bill passed this spring.
In a letter sent Thursday to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Congressman Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat who represents Quincy, requested a delay of the maps because of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act.
In March, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed the act into law. It aims to lessen the worst effects of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, into law.
Biggert-Waters eliminated flood insurance subsidies for homes that were originally built to code, but were later remapped at a greater flood risk, causing premiums to soar.
The financial impact would intensify with FEMA’s release of new flood maps that expand flood plains and raise predicted water elevations. FEMA has delayed Plymouth County’s maps for at least a year while it answers appeals from Marshfield and Scituate, but refused to hold off on implementing Quincy’s maps.
The city’s maps add 1,400 structures to the flood zone – requiring those property owners with federally backed mortgages to purchase flood insurance for the first time. Thousands of others will see their flood risk level increase.
Christopher Walker, a spokesman for Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, said the letter is “belts and suspenders.”
“We’re ready to submit a very extensive appeal at the time of implementation, but the mayor has been working with the federal delegation on some of the broader inequities that FEMA has created with the passage of the bill.”
While the relief bill modifies the remapping process in favor of communities and property owners, Quincy’s new maps go into effect before the law is implemented, putting the city at a disadvantage.
As the letter highlights, communities like Quincy that fall into the “regulatory gap” will not benefit from the guidance provided by the Technical Mapping Advisory Council to ensure mapping techniques are credible. Quincy will also not be able to take advantage of the new flood insurance advocate position not yet implemented.
“The city of Quincy has indicated to our offices that there is a significant amount of confusion amongst property owners,” the letter reads. “Residents and businesses are having a difficult time identifying where to turn for answers. The establishment of the flood insurance advocate would go a long way toward resolving the issue.”
The legislators also point out that the reimbursements for successful appeals afforded in the new law did not exist during Quincy’s appeal period. If they had, the city would have weighed the appeal option knowing the reimbursement was available.
“Homeowners and municipalities must take into account budgetary factors as they decide whether to accept the potentially significant costs of hiring as engineer in order to challenge a map,” the letter reads. “Ensuring that communities and policyholders have fair and equal access to resources under the law is vital.”
The Letter of Map Revision process, the route that the city is now taking, is not eligible for reimbursement. Warren, Markey and Lynch in the letter requested that FEMA reimburse associated costs for communities with maps that go into effect after the law’s passage.
Walker said the city has assisted more than 1,000 property owners and provided free elevation certificates for letters of map appeal.
Jessica Trufant may be reached at jtrufant@ledger.com.
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