Floodplain (16 Questions)
1. Who in Town Hall can I contact for FEMA Floodplain issues related to my property?
The Town's Planning Director is the FEMA Floodplain Manager staff point of contact for Floodplain issues in Town. He can be reached at (423) 639-7105 Ext. 6503 or [email protected]
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2. How do I obtain or review the flood map for my area?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), publishes flood hazard maps, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs. The purpose of a FIRM is to show the areas in a community that are subject to flooding and the risk associated with these flood hazards. You can research and view FIRMs for free at the FEMA Map Service Center. You can also create a customized FIRMette: a paper copy of a user-defined portion of an effective FIRM, produced and saved on your computer. The FIRMette is true to scale and includes title block, scale, and north arrow. It can be used to help determine the location of a property or structure relative to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
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3. I have looked at the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for the area of my property and think the map is wrong. How can the map be changed?
A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) changes flood insurance risk zones, floodplain and/or floodway boundary delineations, planimetric features, and/or Base Flood Elevations (BFE) shown on a FIRM. Homeowners, community officials, and others who have adequate scientific and/or technical data may submit those data to FEMA to support a request for a Letter of Map Revision to revise the flood hazard information shown on the effective FIRM. Individuals, who would like changes to non-technical information, such as road names, road configurations, and corporate limits, should submit the required information to support a map change request to FEMA. Please contact our Town's FEMA Floodplain Manager at (423) 639-7105 Ext. 6503 or write to [email protected] for advice and assistance.
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4. What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
The SFHA is also known as the 100-year floodplain. It is more precisely defined as the floodplain associated with a flood that has a 1% annual chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Therefore, the SFHA is not a flood event that happens once in a hundred years, rather a flood event that has a one percent chance of occurring every year.
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5. Is the Town responsible for my home builder or my neighbor's home builder altering the drainage paths in my subdivision.
No, the subdivision was built and checked according to a grading and drainage (G&D) plan designed and certified by the developer's engineer. This plan takes into account all flow onto and off the property as well as flow to street drains and inlets inside the development. Unfortunately, after a subdivision has been checked and accepted, the individual builders and/or subsequent property owners may take it upon themselves to make changes. If this happens, the builder must be contacted or the homeowner must make corrections themselves. The Town cannot work within private property unless the work is within a recorded drainage easement.
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6. My lender says I need to buy flood insurance, but my lot is not shown in the SFHA.
For virtually every mortgage transaction involving a structure in the United States, a lender reviews the currently effective FIRM for the community in which the property is located to determine its location relative to the SFHA. In some cases, a lender incorrectly determines that a property is in a SFHA. If you would like FEMA to make an official determination regarding the location of your property relative to the SFHA, you may apply for a Letter of Determination Review (LODR). The LODR process does not consider the elevation of the structure or property. Rather, it considers only the horizontal location of the structure relative to the SFHA shown on the FIRM. FEMA reviews this information and issues its finding of whether the structure is located in the SFHA according to the currently effective FIRM. While this determination cannot consider the elevation of your structure or property, it can be useful if you feel the lender's interpretation of the FIRM is incorrect. Please contact the Town's FEMA Floodplain Manager at (423) 639-7105 Ext.6503 or write to [email protected] for advice and assistance.
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7. If my house is within the SFHA, but it was built at an elevation above the required Base Flood Elevation (BFE), what can I do?
Depending on the specific circumstances, you may apply for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), or a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F). The application forms for LOMAs and LOMR-Fs can be found on the FEMA Forms webpage and provide comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for requesters to follow ensuring that your submittal is complete and logically structured. Upon receiving a completed application, FEMA reviews property-specific information including surveyed elevation data (typically the elevation of the lowest adjacent grade of the structure in question) and makes a final flood zone determination for the property. The homeowner may be required to hire a licensed land surveyor to perform this elevation survey if this data is not readily available. If the LOMA or LOMR-F removes the SFHA designation from the property, it can then be presented to the lender as proof that there is no federal flood insurance requirement for the property. Please contact the Town's FEMA Floodplain Manager at (423) 639-7105 Ext.6503 or write to [email protected] for advice and assistance.
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8. Does my homeowner's insurance policy cover flooding?
Homeowners insurance usually does not cover flood damage. Many property owners discover too late that their homeowners insurance policy will not pay when their homes are damaged by common geological processes such as earthquakes, expansive soils, floods, hurricanes, or landslides. Most homeowners have the impression that their "all perils" insurance policy would pay for almost any type of damage that their home would experience, so it is important to read the exclusions statement on the policy or ask their insurance agent.
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9. Can I get flood insurance even if I am not in a floodplain?
Yes, you can! The purchase of a flood insurance policy is wise even if a structure is located outside the SFHA. More than 25% of flood claims are made by property owners located outside the floodplain. The issuance of a LOMA or LOMR-F does not mean the structure or lot is safe from all flooding; it means that the risk of flooding is not as high as it is in the SFHA. Events greater than the 1% annual chance event can and do occur. It is also important to note that the flood insurance premium rate for structures located outside the floodplain are lower than the premiums for structures located in the floodplain.
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10. How do I obtain a copy of the Elevation Certificate for my property?
The Elevation Certificate is one way for a community to comply with the National Flood Insurance Program requirement that the community obtain the elevation of the lowest floor (including basement) of all new and substantially improved structures and maintain a record of such information. The Elevation Certificate also is required to properly rate structures constructed after publication of the Flood Insurance Rate Map for flood insurance premiums.
Elevation Certificates must be prepared and certified by a registered professional engineer, licensed land surveyor, or registered landscape architect who is authorized by state or local law to certify elevation information. The Twon's assigned FEMA Floodplain Manager who is authorized to provide floodplain management information may also sign the certificate at his/her discretion.
Diagram indicating the location of a floodplain along a river.
11. What is a floodplain...and what should a person know about buying property within it?"
The floodplain is considered to be the land adjoining lakes, creeks and rivers that is covered by the "100-year" or "regional" flood. This flood is considered to be a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year.
Using sophisticated engineering and meteorological techniques, it is possible to estimate to an acceptable degree of accuracy the magnitude of such a flood along those water bodies where long-term flood records have been kept. Various government agencies conduct these studies, and as they become available, local communities adopt this technical data in their floodplain zoning ordinances.
The natural floodplain is an important part of our water system. It affects storm runoff, water quality, vegetative diversity, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic qualities of our rivers and lakes. Any alteration of the floodplain should be carefully evaluated. A persons intended use should be appropriate to the site selected. The following information about floodplains and local zoning codes deals with restrictions on developing in or near floodplains. However, remember that the least amount of alteration to the natural system is usually the most ecologically sound development decision.
If a person is buying or already owns property on a river shoreline in a community that has adopted floodplain zoning, they should consider the following points: floodway location, flood fringe location, flood protection elevation, flood proofing, and flood insurance.
Diagram indicating the location of a floodplain along a river.
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12. What is the flood protection elevation?
The flood protection elevation refers to an elevation 1 foot above the 100-year flood plus any stage increase due to the designation of flood fringe areas. The elevation of the lowest floor of a dwelling must be at or above the flood protection elevation. In most cases, the top of the access road elevations will also be within 2 feet of the flood protection elevation.
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13. What is Flood Insurance?
Flood insurance is an important consideration when buying floodplain property. A person should be aware of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which provides flood insurance coverage for structures and their contents, in communities participating in the NFIP. Under this program, federally insured or regulated institutions must require flood insurance policies on all new loans for structures in mapped 100 year floodplain areas recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A person can find out if a piece of property is located in the floodplain by checking with the FEMA Floodplain Manager (ask for the "Flood Insurance Rate Map" or the "Flood Hazard Boundary Map" furnished by FEMA). If a person is considering the purchase or development of floodplain property, their insurance agent can provide information on the cost and availability of flood insurance. Flood insurance is available for structures in our community because Greeneville participates in the NFIP. The structure does not have to be located in the mapped floodplain in order to obtain insurance.
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14. Does the Town of Greeneville participate in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes
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15. Where can I buy Flood Insurance?
Flood Insurance can be written by any licensed property and casualty insurance agent
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16. How much does Flood Insurance cost?
Flood insurance premiums are rated on various factors including: location of the building within the floodplain; the building's lowest floor elevation (including basement) relative to the 100 year or Base Flood Elevation(BFE) and policy value. The average premium nationwide for a homeowners policy is approximately $300.00. The premium is more expensive for structures located in the 100-year floodplain that pre-date the Town's floodplain ordinance and are not properly elevated or protected against flood damage.
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