HomeMy WebLinkAboutOUTREACH TO PROPERTIES IN THE SFHANotification of Updates to Flood Hazard Maps
August 31, 2016
Property Owner Name
Property Address
Edina, MN Zip
Dear Property Owner:
A multiyear project by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to re-examine Edina’s flood risks
and develop detailed digital flood hazard maps is nearing completion. The updated maps will become effective
on November 4, 2016, replacing the current maps that were adopted in 2004.
The parcel and/or structure identified at the top of this letter is/are in a higher-risk flood zone, known as a
Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The area is shown on the flood hazard map – also known as a Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) – as a zone beginning with the letters A or AE.
How will these updated maps affect you?
If you have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender and the structures on this parcel are within
the SFHA, then by Federal law your lender must require you to carry flood insurance. The requirement takes
place when the updated flood maps become effective on November 4, 2016.
Normal home hazard insurance does not cover flood damage.
Most lenders will check their loans when the updated maps become effective and send a letter indicating that
property owners in the SFHA must get flood insurance within 45 days or have a policy force-placed, which is
normally much more expensive; do not ignore this letter. Follow up with your lender even if you believe you
may have been inadvertently included in the SFHA.
Flood insurance is available through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. For more information on flood
insurance, or to find an insurance agent, visit FloodSmart.gov. If flood insurance is not a requirement, the City
of Edina still recommends that you purchase flood insurance.
What to do if you believe you’ve been inadvertently included in the SFHA?
If you believe your structure is higher than the flood elevation, you may submit a Letter of Map Amendment
(LOMA) application to FEMA. You will need to hire a professional engineer or professional land surveyor to
complete a field survey to accompany your application. If a structure is several feet above the flood elevation, it
may be possible to get a map from the City in lieu of a field survey.
More information on the process for submitting a LOMA is available from the MN Department of Natural
Resources at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/floodplain/fema_forms.html#fema_forms
or from FEMA at http://www.fema.gov/letter-map-amendment-letter-map-revision-based-fill-process .
What can be done to mitigate flood risk?
Elevating or flood proofing a structure may help to reduce flood risk and allow for cheaper flood insurance.
The City has standards to guide development and redevelopment of parcels to minimize risk (City Code of
Ordinances Chapter 26, Article X). You can learn more about flood proofing by visiting
http://dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/floodplain/faqs.html .
What if the updated maps show that your structure is now in the SFHA?
Taking action sooner rather than later may help keep flood insurance rates down. Property owners can get an
extra year of highly discounted flood insurance by purchasing the Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) more than 30
days before the updated maps become effective on November 4, 2016. The PRP is for structures that are not
in the high risk floodplain at the time the policy becomes effective, and the policy is not effective until 30 days
after purchase. Contact your mortgage or insurance lender to see what options are available for structures and
parcels that are now shown to be in the SFHA with the map update.
Due to the digital nature of the updated maps, it is much easier for the lenders to identify the structures and
parcels within the SFHA. You may have been in the floodplain all along but had not been told to get flood
insurance since it was harder to make the determination with the older maps.
A map summarizing the changes since last FIRM and other flood resources are available on the City’s Flood
Resources website at www.edinamn.gov/engineering_flood_resources .
You may also view the changes by visiting the Interactive Water Resources Map at
https://www.barr.com/maps/edina/index.html#/-93.3600/44.8918/13 .
Regards,
Jessica V. Wilson, CFM
Water Resources Coordinator
jwilson@EdinaMN.gov
952-826-0445