At the end of September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA announced changes to flood maps for St. Joseph County.
A press release dated September 25 encouraged residents to view the new maps before they’re finalized to make sure they’re accurate. The period where feedback is accepted, known as an appeal period, runs through December 25. According to the release, appeals and comments can be submitted by contacting the local floodplain administrator.
“The idea is if your property fell on a flood zone and you didn't feel it should have, that's your opportunity to speak up," said Dave Mostrom.
Mostrom runs Mostrom & Associates, a land-surveying firm in St. Joseph County. When WMUK contacted FEMA's listed floodplain administrator for St. Joseph County, we were directed to Mostrom.
“A lot of times when people build near a river or a creek or a lake or any water body that has a potential of flood, they sometimes — and our municipalities don't do it either — think about where the flood hazard area is," Mostrom said.
According to Mostrom and a floodplain staff contact list from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Coordinator Matt Occhipinti is a statewide coordinator who is able to answer questions about the maps or help with submitting an appeal.
The NFIP is the name for the flood insurance offered by FEMA. Mostrom said if a mortgaged property falls within areas called special flood hazard zones, the owners must get flood insurance through FEMA.
“The mortgage company will force place the insurance on the property if the homeowner doesn't do it," Mostrom said.
And if inaccuracies aren’t brought to FEMA’s attention before the appeal period ends, it’s a long and tricky process to get them corrected. Mostrom said the requirement only applies to mortgaged properties within a designated area, but given the fact that 60% of homes in the United States are mortgaged, it's likely to apply to most properties.
The updated maps can be viewed on FEMA's flood map changes viewer, and St. Joseph County can be viewed in detail by zooming in extremely close to a certain area. However, the maps are hard to interpret for the average person. Mostrom said floodplain experts like Matt Occhipinti at EGLE or land surveyors such as himself can help.
Mostrom also said that if there are any doubts about the accuracy of the maps, surveyors can help landowners analyze the mapped areas around their property.
“If you feel that your property is high enough and won't be flooded, you can hire a surveyor to come out and verify that the elevations around the house are above that base flood elevation," Mostrom said.
According to the press release, FEMA map specialists are also available to answer questions about the maps — though WMUK was not able to reach a specialist who could specifically discuss the St. Joseph County maps.
However, Mostrom said he and EGLE NFIP Coordinator Matt Occhipinti are both familiar with the St. Joseph County maps and would likely be able to answer any questions regarding the maps and the appeals process.
