Flood Insurance has been a big topic for Texas Coastal residence, especially along our Clear Lake waterfront area. Communities like League City, Seabrook, Dickinson, Nassau Bay and Clear Lake Shores have heard the news that it’s possible in the future that their flood insurance could be unaffordable.
The Biggert Waters Flood Insurance reform act has a lot of moving parts but the one that concerns me the most is the new flood insurance rate maps or FIRM as an anagram. Using new technology in topography, GPS satellite imaging and actual data from Hurricane Ike new maps for Galveston County have been created. The proposed maps are not affective and at this point preliminary.
Coupled with the new maps is the removal of Grandfathering. In a nutshell, if you home was built above the flood line at the time of construction, you were ‘Grandfathered’. Built in compliance to the regulations at that time which sounds logical enough. Biggert Waters’s reform act removes all forms of Grandfathering. If this clause remains, then as a homeowner you will be charged for your flood insurance based on your homes actual elevation according to the new map.
For places like League City, Seabrook, Dickinson, Nassau Bay and Clear Lake Shores the flood line is now higher, your home was built when it was lower means larger premiums for your flood insurance.
The status as of now is the program is on hold for an affordability study. Great idea to work on that after the fact.
I have access to the new flood maps for Galveston County. If you’d like to see a complementary side by side comparison between your flood zoning now and the preliminary map, contact me.
Paula Smith Insurance agents know the ins and outs of the National Flood Insurance Program and welcome being a resource to you to assist in your insurance research. For more on our other insurance products we offer, please check out the Insurance Products page for information on homeowners insurance, auto or motorcycle as well as recreational vehicles and life insurance. We have some great resources in our blogs, so take a look there too. Call us today at (281) 488-8880 or email us at paula@leaguecityinsuranceagent.com for a free quote or to ask any questions.