By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News staff
NARRAGANSETT — Get
ready for a confusing chapter in the National Flood Insurance Program. This
fall, many Rhode Islanders are going to find out if they have to buy flood
insurance for the first time. The reason: the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) recently updated the Ocean State's coastal and riverside flood
zones to reflect current risk levels.
Congress also wants
the heavily indebted program to pay for itself, so rates are going up on many
properties already covered by flood insurance.
The new state maps
will be released county by county in September and October, and they are going
to raise a slew of questions. When will rates increase? How much will they
increase? How will exemptions be applied? Can the new flood zones be contested?
Here are some of those
details discussed during a July 10 public forum with FEMA officials at the
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus:
Existing policies. Rhode Island has 16,271 flood insurance
policies. That’s about half as many homes and businesses that should have
policies but don’t because property owners let policies lapse or never got
flood insurance. There is no enforcement mechanism requiring property owners in
flood zones to buy flood insurance, although banks may require it in order to
qualify for a mortgage.
New maps. Excluding Bristol County, the new flood maps
will be online and at city and town planning departments this fall: Newport
County, Sept. 4; Kent County, Sept. 18; Providence County, Sept. 18; Washington
County, Oct. 16; and Bristol County, May 16, 2014.
Community approval. Each city and town must approve the flood
zones, which FEMA says is in their best interest. However, it could come with
community pushback and a possible conflict with existing state planning
policies.
Discounts. Cities and towns earn a 5 percent premium
discount for local policy holders if they join FEMA’s Community Rating System
Program. Communities can also adopt new building codes, such as higher foundations,
which can help reduce premiums or eliminate the need for insurance. Editor's note: Westerly qualified; Charlestown hopes to, once Housing Official Joe Warner completes training to become the town's designated storm czar.
Higher premiums. Flood insurance rates have already increased
for owners of second homes. The premium increases 25 percent annually until the
federal subsidy is eliminated, which varies by property. On Oct. 1 rates also
increase on properties that flood frequently. Primary residences will only have
rate increases after a property is sold, the policy lapses or a new policy is
purchased. In all, 43 percent of flood insurance policies in Rhode Island are
subsidized, and those subsidies will likely be replaced by higher premiums.
The July 10 event was
sponsored by the Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan, known as the
Beach SAMP. Grover Fugate, director of the Coastal Resources Management
Council, will oversee the multi-year study of the impacts climate change will
have on Rhode Island’s shoreline.
“There’s no question
that sea-level rise is occurring; we're starting to see an acceleration of that
rate now,” Fugate said.
Prolonged nor'easters
and more frequent hurricanes will hasten the advancement of storm surges.
Roads, infrastructure, water supplies, sewage treatment plants and
first-responder facilities are threatened, Fugate said.
Sea-level rise in New
England will likely increase more quickly than in other coastal regions due to
ice melting and changing currents, he said. “That’s why we are here to put
together a plan to be more resilient,” Fugate said.