Some coastal homeowners may see flood insurance rates drop based on new preliminary floodplain maps, but N.C. Sea Grant construction and erosion specialist Spencer Rogers urged municipalities to approach the maps with caution.
Rogers shared his early analysis of preliminary maps for New Hanover County, quietly released in early September on the N.C. Flood Risk Information System website, with the Wilmington-New Hanover Port, Waterway and Beach Commission during a Sept. 10 meeting.
Noting his review is ongoing and the maps are subject to change before becoming effective, Rogers said the preliminary maps send mixed messages, particularly on Wrightsville Beach.
Oceanfront properties, which Rogers said sustained the most damage during past storms, shift into lower-hazard zones with lessened base flood elevations. A decrease of 1-2 feet in base flood elevation required on Harbor Island is still more severe than historical impact to the island’s densely inhabited interior.
Rogers said preliminary maps for the county’s other beach communities also send mixed messages. Some oceanfront property on Figure Eight Island, for example, moved out of the Special Flood Hazard Area, where flood insurance is required, into an area of minimal flood hazard.
Kure Beach Mayor Pro Tem Craig Bloszinsky said his initial review suggests the preliminary maps are an improvement for Kure Beach, where residents could see lower flood insurance rates.
Rogers warned against looking at the preliminary maps in terms of better or worse than existing maps.
“Better or worse are relative terms that mean different things to different people. If your insurance rates go down for any reason, the homeowner perceives it as an improvement,” Rogers said. “My view is it doesn’t realistically reflect the actual risk of what we think will happen and what we’ve seen happen, because we have Fran and Floyd in the ’90s to compare it to.”
Carolina Beach Councilman Steve Shuttleworth asked Rogers how local municipalities should approach the new maps.
“You need to be paying careful attention and you need to figure out what you want out of it. Do you want lower flood insurance rates for property owners, or do you want more realistic risk ratings for the maps?” Rogers responded.
Following a public announcement and meetings with local authorities, the N.C. Floodplain Mapping Program will then begin to accept comments and challenges on the new maps for a period of at least 90 days, but it hasn’t been formally announced yet. Once public comments are processed, local governments must pass an ordinance adopting the maps within six months or all flood insurance policies in the community will be canceled.
Rogers is slated to update the commission during its next meeting Oct. 8 on the status of the maps. See the preliminary maps at http://rfris.nc.gov/fris/
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