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What you should know … The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has completed the first comprehensive review of flood zones throughout Lee County in 22 years. New Flood Insurance Rate Maps, which also establish required base flood elevations for construction, will become effective in September 2008. FEMA’s review included unincorporated Lee County; the cities of Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Sanibel; and the town of Fort Myers Beach. Each community received preliminary maps of new flood zones in July 2006. Lee County, the city of Sanibel, the town of Fort Myers Beach, and several private appellants asked FEMA to change some of the mapping that covers Lee County. FEMA agreed to change 76 of the 155 map panels covering Lee County. Panels for all of the cities of Fort Myers and Sanibel, the town of Fort Myers Beach and much of Bonita Springs and unincorporated Lee County have changed. The appeals generally reduced the area that FEMA originally placed in flood ways in the preliminary maps. On Jan. 10, 2008, FEMA distributed copies of these revised preliminary maps. All of the preliminary flood map panels, including the 76 revised panels, can be viewed at this Web site. Print copies can be viewed at the Lee County Department of Community Development, 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers. Lee County’s map modification is part of FEMA’s nationwide updating of flood maps. View flood maps for your property. … How to use the Digital Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map You can view the proposed flood zone assigned to your property from this Web site. Please be patient. The digital images are complex, and it will take several seconds for them to be displayed. The recommended Web viewer is Internet Explorer. Make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off! The first map you will see is a Lee County map that uses color to highlight current and proposed Special Flood Hazard Areas. A legend on the right side of the page explains the map’s coding. Yellow represents current Special Flood Hazard Areas. Blue diagonal lines represent proposed Special Flood Hazard Areas. Orange boxes show the boundaries for panels of Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps. You can use the Map Tool Functions to search for your address. Click HERE to learn how to use these tools.
The following is based on information provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Does this affect my flood insurance premium?
You can get an estimate for your specific premium. Click here for FEMA's Flood Insurance Program premium estimator. The average annual premium through this program is $425. Rates vary according to flood risk zone, amount of coverage, deductibles, building type, foundation type, age of construction, and elevation of the lowest floor of the building, as compared to the base flood elevation. Does this affect future construction on my property? If a low- or moderate-risk zone becomes a high-risk zone, elevation requirements for new construction will likely be higher. This is especially true in coastal V or VE zones, on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island, for example, where required elevations will go up several feet. Buildings constructed in compliance with the flood map in effect at the time of construction will not be immediately affected. Small repair and remodeling projects will not be affected. However, requirements will change for future building projects. The high-risk zones, or Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) zones, are noted on the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps by the letters “A”, “AE”, “V” or “VE”. Elevation requirements, listed as “EL” appear below the zone designation. For example, EL9 would mean an elevation requirement of 9 feet. If a high-risk zone becomes a low- or moderate-risk zone, elevation requirements for new construction will likely be lowered. If the zone remains the same, there would likely be no change in construction elevation requirements. What do I need to know about new elevation requirements? FEMA is making use of new engineering technology and computer modeling as it updates the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps. As part of this process, FEMA is updating its standard for taking vertical measurements. The old standard, used since 1929, is called NGVD29. It has been replaced by a new standard: The North American Vertical Datum of 1988, or NAVD88. This standard was first proposed in 1988. Since 1991, it has been widely used in the United States, Canada and Mexico to determine vertical measurements. Surveyors, engineers and other construction technicians will use the new standard to determine the required elevations for future construction projects. Using the new standard in Lee County, an elevation will generally be 1.18 feet lower than under the old standard. However, the relationship between changing measurement standards and changing elevation requirements within new flood zones can be complex. Property owners planning additions and other building projects should consult a surveyor or engineer to determine whether the change in vertical measurement standard has any practical effect on their project. For detailed guidance to on NAVD88 conversions, CLICK HERE
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For more Q&A information, see the “Be FloodSmart” section of FEMA’s FloodSmart Web site. Web site Resources:
Other Resources:
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