Posted by Kerry --Previous Message--
on 8/31/2004, 3:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Flood Zones in Accokeek"
141.156.47.169
Flood zones are mapped by FEMA, although they are not always up to date. Mortgage lender regulated by or tied to the federal government (FDIC or Federal Reserve regulated banks, lenders who deal with Fannie or Freddie, VA or FHA lenders, etc.) are required by law to have a flood zone determination performed on mortgaged properties, and if the property is in a flood zone, the lender must require flood insurance on the property. There are also different kinds of flood zones, depending on how likely an area is to flood. There is usually a ~$30 fee on the mortgage application for this. If the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, the community's building codes should require new construction to take the floodplain into account (that's why new houses at the beach are all on stilts, for example), and Federal Flood Insurance is available from FEMA through most major insurance companies. Homes that were built before the federal program was established can be insured at subsidized rates.
Flood zone maps are available on FEMA's website, or the county may have information available as well (some counties are better than others at this). But I would check and make sure your mortgage lender had a flood zone determination done, and be aware of the results--there are different flood zones, and it may be worth it to have some insurance if your property is borderline. Whole communitites in NC were wiped out by hurricane Floyd because the lenders and builders failed to recognize that they were developing flood zones. check out www.fema.gov, and www.floodsmart.gov.
: Hey Jill, I may have some good news for you. I
: was driving to my soon-to-be-built home from
: Waldorf via Bealle Hill Road. I believe
: that's the road's name. Anyway, I saw a sign
: for Caruso Homes which stated that there were
: new homes to be built. I could still read all
: that, even though most of the sign was
: boarded up. I guess that's the community that
: couldn't be built. So, I feel SO much better
: about that flooding scare. It was in a
: low-lying area with older houses on that
: road. I guess we're in the clear so far 
: --Previous Message--
: : Thanks Mari! I will post anything I find
: out
: here too.
: Jill
: --Previous Message--
: Hi Jill. I was alarmed too. I can tell you
: that
: I see a Flood Zone sign on Floral Park Road.
: I can see how it can be a flood zone since
: it's flat there and it's at the bottom of a
: hill. It's actually at the bottom of The
: Preserve community which isn't bad because I
: know that there are lots of low-lying areas
: around MD and it doesn't mean that there will
: be waist high water or anything, just that
: houses shouldn't be built there now. The
: Preserve is actually on top of the hill and
: water would run down to the area with the
: signage. I see some very old houses close to
: the Flood Zone sign and they seem to be just
: fine.
: The friend who told me about the Flood Zone
: issue has a dad that lives in Hillantree and
: it's just fine. She told me that there were
: houses planned but once the Flood Zones were
: established, a developer was not allowed to
: build there. So, everyone should be fine but
: I still wanna know where the other Flood
: Zones are since I've only seen one sign. If
: you ever find out, please post it on this
: site so I know. Thanks!
: --Previous Message--
: Mari: Yikes. We are building a new home
: there too
: and heard nothing about it. Hope someone can
: answer this question!
: Jill
: --Previous Message--
: Hi there. I'm getting a new house built in
: Accokeek and I've heard that some areas have
: just been tagged as flood zones. Does anyone
: know where I can get info or a map about the
: flood zones in the area? I've been trying for
: weeks to locate info on my own via the web,
: with no luck. Please let me know. Thanks!
: : : :
: :
:
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