Risk Rating 2.0 is a new tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to determine whether communities are at risk from flooding.

This tool uses a combination of data sources to identify areas where flooding is likely to occur and the same data will also be the basis for your premium rate.

One of the biggest things that this new rating system won't take into account when it comes to premium rates is flood zones. However, it is still important to be aware of new flood maps updates as this represents both where flooding can happen and where flood insurance is required.

Harney, Oregon

Oregon may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of floods, but the state has a long and storied history with this natural disaster. From the massive flood of 1862 that destroyed much of downtown Portland to the devastating floods that have struck in recent years, Oregonians know all too well how destructive flooding can be.

If you're concerned about your home's risk of flooding, it's important to understand your area's history and what steps you can take to protect your property.

Today, we want to talk about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly changes coming to flood maps of Harney County, Oregon this April 20th, 2022.

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like Flood Zone X.

This is a good thing for 486 property owners impacted by this movement in Harney County. This simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA). This is somewhat unexpected because generally, we see fewer properties moving out from a high-risk zone whenever there are new flood insurance rate maps.

This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, it's still a bad idea to not have flood insurance.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact only 320 properties in Harney, Oregon. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

Although this doesn't really impact premium rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation.

Being part of this change can still hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one.

Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for the county. At least 3,052 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates increase significantly.

Now, let's talk about your flood insurance options in Harney County. Watch the video below to know the difference between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Private Flood Insurance market.

Flood insurance is important now more than ever as we face higher risks for floods. You don't want to be blindsided by all that floodwater and find yourself in a lot of losses.

If you want to learn more about flood insurance in Oregon, flood mitigation, or anything related to flood insurance, click below to go to our Flood Learning Center:

You can also click below to call us:

Risk Rating 2.0 is a new tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to determine whether communities are at risk from flooding.

This tool uses a combination of data sources to identify areas where flooding is likely to occur and the same data will also be the basis for your premium rate.

One of the biggest things that this new rating system won't take into account when it comes to premium rates is flood zones. However, it is still important to be aware of new flood maps updates as this represents both where flooding can happen and where flood insurance is required.

Charles City, Virginia

Floods in Charles City Virginia are a common occurrence. The city is situated on the banks of the James River, which is prone to flooding. In recent years, the city has experienced several floods, including one in 2018 that caused significant damage to homes and businesses.

flooding can occur at any time of year but is most common during the spring and summer months when the river is swollen from melting snow and heavy rains. Flooding can also occur during hurricanes and other severe weather events.

When floods do occur, they can cause extensive damage to property and infrastructure. In some cases, people have had to be evacuated from their homes. If you live in or around Charles City, it's important to be prepared for floods.

Today, we want to talk about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly changes coming to flood maps of Charles City County, Virginia this April 20th, 2022.

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like Flood Zone X.

This is a good thing for only 14 property owners impacted by this movement in Charles City County. This simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, it's still a bad idea to not have flood insurance.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact only 430 properties in Charles City, Virginia. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

Although this doesn't really impact premium rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation.

Being part of this change can still hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one.

Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for the county. At least 648 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates increase significantly.

Now, let's talk about your flood insurance options in Charles City County. Watch the video below to know the difference between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Private Flood Insurance market.

Flood insurance is important now more than ever as we face higher risks for floods. You don't want to be blindsided by all that floodwater and find yourself in a lot of losses.

If you want to learn more about flood insurance in Virginia, flood mitigation, or anything related to flood insurance, click below to go to our Flood Learning Center:

You can also click below to call us:

We're officially doing Risk Rating 2.0 across the board. In case you missed it, this new program for the NFIP will no longer look at flood zones as a basis for flood policies' premium rates.

However, flood zones still have a firm grip on how flood insurance functions and one of the things that will be staying. Despite not being a factor that impacts rates, flood zones still will still call shots on whether or not a property is required to carry flood insurance.

Let's talk about the flood map changes that recently came to Rice County in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Rice County Flood Maps

Minnesota's Rice County just got new flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to reflect the county's current flood risk.

The state itself is no stranger to flooding, especially during this season as we transition from the cold snowy winter to the warmer blooming spring. As this presents increased flood risks, we look at how floodplain management regulations and flood maps react to this type of change.

Flood Map Updates

In this article, we'll look at the good, the bad, and the ugly changes coming to Rice County in Minnesota. Even though flood zones no longer matter rates-wise, it's important we still look at these to see to understand where flood insurance might be required for almost 2,600 properties that are affected.

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like Flood Zone X.

This is a good thing for only 12 property owners impacted by this movement in Rice County. This simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, it's still a bad idea to not have flood insurance.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact about 17 properties in Rice County,  Minnesota. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

 

Although this doesn't really impact premium rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation.

Being part of this change can still hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one.

Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for the county. At least 377 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates increase significantly.

 

Now, let's talk about your flood insurance options in Rice County. Watch the video below to know the difference between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Private Flood Insurance market.

Flood insurance is important now more than ever as we face higher risks for floods. You don't want to be blindsided by all that floodwater and find yourself in a lot of losses.

If you want to learn more about flood insurance in Minnesota, flood mitigation, or anything related to flood insurance, click below to go to our Flood Learning Center:

You can also click below to call us:

As we got past April 1st, we officially move out of using flood zones as a means of rating flood insurance. However, these zones still have a grip on flood insurance concerns.

With 16 new maps to be added to the county, let's look at the good, the bad, and the ugly changes coming to Gilpin County, Colorado with this new flood map update that's coming on April 6th, 2022.

Flood Map Changes

When it comes to flood map updates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this generally shows you three separate changes which we'd call the good, the bad, and the ugly changes.

So, what are these changes coming to almost 10,000 properties in Gilpin County, and how do they impact your flood insurance?

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like Flood Zone X.

This is a good thing for about 171 properties owners are impacted by this movement in Gilpin County. This simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, it's still a bad idea to not have flood insurance.

Yes! This is especially true if you're in a low-risk flood zone. Mostly, this is due to the fact that even Flood Zone X gets flooded and sometimes they get flood damage that is substantially worse than those in coastal zones or SFHA. FEMA even reports that at least 25% of flood claims come from low-risk zones.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact about 368 properties in Gilpin County,  Ohio.

Unlike the good change, this means that if you're one of the 368 properties, you'll be getting moved into a high-risk flood zone. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

It's out of Flood Zone X and into Flood Zone A this time around.

Although this doesn't really impact premium rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation. So floodplain administrators don't really know where and how flooding can start.

Putting two and two together, these areas are generally experiencing more unpredictable flood behavior and as a property owner, your chance of flooding can't really be pinned down easily.

Despite not being a basis for flood insurance premiums anymore, if you don't install the necessary flood prevention or mitigation measures, this can still hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one. Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for the county. At least 671 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update.

Equally, "in to in" may also indicate properties that are in Flood Zone X will stay in this low-risk flood zone; however if you're in the SFHA, this might also mean that you're being mapped deeper into it. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates skyrocket.

Being in flood zone A is already a bad thing, but this can become ugly if you move into a Flood Zone AE because generally, this type of high-risk area in the SFHA indicates that the base flood elevation has been determined.

Now, that you know these changes, it's best to also know your flood insurance options in Gilpin County especially if you're one of the property owners that are being moved into or are staying in the SFHA where flood insurance is required.

NFIP

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is purely managed by the federal government since this is FEMA's answer to flood insurance. An NFIP flood policy can get you flood coverage on both your dwelling and the contents within it.

There is a coverage limit when it comes to federal flood policies. Flood damage to buildings will be covered to a maximum of $250,000 for residential policies and can only go up to $500,000 maximum if it's for a commercial property.

Regardless of the type of property you have written, you can expect to get a $100,000 maximum contents coverage from an NFIP policy.

There's also what's called the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage. This is a $30,000 additional coverage for your property in order to make sure that there are flood mitigation efforts made on the property.

Generally, this can include sandbagging your property, installing floodproofing walls, raising your lowest floor from the base flood elevation levels, and putting flood openings. The labor that goes into making these mitigation efforts happen will also be covered under the ICC.

There are also perks to a participating community in Gilpin County. A participating community gets access to federal flood insurance and disaster assistance, but more importantly, you also get to work with your community on raising your Community Rating System (CRS) score.

The CRS measures and rewards the overall flood mitigation efforts done by the community according to FEMA's standards on floodplain management. Simply put, the higher your CRS score is, the bigger the flood insurance discount you'll get from FEMA and the NFIP.

You can start enjoying your NFIP policy after a 30-day waiting period from the flood insurance purchase.

If the federal flood insurance option doesn't really work for you then you can manage this new floodplain mapping through the private flood insurance market.

Private Flood Insurance

It's important to note that this market will solely be managed and provided by private insurance companies which generally means that the red tapes FEMA and NFIP has to go through won't be there.

The first thing you'll immediately see with the private flood market is that there are significantly shorter waiting periods for your flood policy. Once you have everything settled and paid for, the waiting period for the private flood carriers will follow a much shorter timeframe compared to NFIP. A private flood insurance policy can take effect for 3 or up to 15 days maximum.

Another good thing coming out of private flood insurance is that there are no coverage limits. This means that you won't really need to stress over how to get covered for a $500,000 home since it will be fully covered by your policy.

This is the same with contents coverage and you'll also get additional coverages like replacement costs, additional living expenses, and loss of use.

At the end of the day, the choice of where you'll be getting flood insurance depends on you. What's really important is that you know your flood risks and have enough protection from all possible outcomes of a flood event such as flood loss and flood damage.

Click the link below to access our Flood Learning Center where we try to answer your questions on flood insurance and beyond.

It's been a long time coming, but Anderson County in Kansas will be getting its flood maps updated this March.

In this blog, we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly changes coming to Anderson County, Kansas with this new flood map update coming that came on March 8th. 30 maps are being changed in the county to reflect its risks for flooding. Let's see how this can still impact your flood insurance since rates are no longer impacted.

Flood Map Changes

Flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) are constantly updated in order to reflect the current floodplain devolvement and changes to a certain area. Now, you may get a new flood map every other month or sometimes it can take up to years. Simply being "in the know" when it comes to these changes can really help you manage the ever-changing landscape of the flood insurance industry.

Now, when it comes to flood map updates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this generally shows you three separate changes which we'd call the good, the bad, and the ugly changes. Why did we call it this way, well you will have to know for yourself at the latter part of this blog.

So, what are these changes coming to almost 7,500 properties in Anderson County, and how do they impact your flood insurance?

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". This is a beneficial change for about 129 properties owners are impacted by this movement in Anderson County. Generally, this simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like a Flood Zone X.

Although flood insurance doesn't consider flood zones when it comes to premium rates anymore, this type of movement still holds good news for property owners. This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, we highly discourage removing flood insurance for your property.

Yes! This is especially true if you're in a low-risk flood zone. Mostly, this is due to the fact that even Flood Zone X gets flooded and sometimes they get flood damage that is substantially worse than those in coastal zones or SFHA.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact about 218 properties.

Unlike the good change, this means that if you're one of the 218 properties, you'll be getting moved into a high-risk flood zone. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

It's out of the Flood Zone X and in Flood Zone A this time around.

Although this doesn't really impact premium rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation. So floodplain administrators don't really know where and how flooding can start.

Putting two and two together, these areas are generally experiencing more unpredictable flood behavior and as a property owner, your chance of flooding can't really be pinned down easily.

Despite not being a basis for flood insurance premiums anymore, if you don't install the necessary flood prevention or mitigation measures, this can still hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one. Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for the county. At least 2,141 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update.

Equally, "in to in" may also indicate properties that are in Flood Zone X will stay in this low-risk flood zone; however if you're in the SFHA, this might also mean that you're being mapped deeper into it. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates skyrocket.

Now, that you know these changes, it's best to also know your flood insurance options in Anderson County.

Federal Flood Insurance

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is purely managed by the federal government since this is FEMA's answer to flood insurance. An NFIP flood policy can get you flood coverage on both your dwelling and the contents within it.

When we say dwelling, this simply pertains to either the residential property or commercial building that you're trying to insure with NFIP and FEMA; contents will be more about the personal property and items you have inside the insured building.

There is a coverage limit when it comes to federal flood policies. Flood damage to buildings will be covered to a maximum of $250,000 for residential policies and can only go up to $500,000 maximum if it's for a commercial property.

Regardless of the type of property you have written, you can expect to get a $100,000 maximum contents coverage from an NFIP policy. There's also an additional coverage from FEMA and the NFIP called the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage.

There are also perks with your participating community in Anderson County. A participating community gets access to federal flood insurance and disaster assistance, but more importantly, you also get to work with your community on raising your Community Rating System (CRS) score.

The CRS measures and rewards the overall flood mitigation efforts done by the community according to FEMA's standards on floodplain management. Simply put, the higher your CRS score is, the bigger the flood insurance discount you'll get from FEMA and the NFIP.

You can start enjoying your NFIP policy after a 30-day waiting period from the flood insurance purchase.

Private Flood Insurance

If the federal flood insurance option doesn't really work for you then you can manage this new floodplain mapping through the private flood insurance market. It's important to note that this market will solely be managed and provided by private insurance companies which generally means that the red tapes FEMA and NFIP has to go through won't be there.

 

The first thing you'll immediately see with the private flood market is that there are significantly shorter waiting periods for your flood policy. Once you have everything settled and paid for, the waiting period for the private flood carriers will follow a much shorter timeframe compared to NFIP. A private flood insurance policy can take effect on 3 or up to 15 days maximum. 

Another good thing coming out of private flood insurance is that there are no coverage limits. This means that you won't really need to stress over how to get covered for a $500,000 home since it will be fully covered by your policy. This is the same with contents coverage and you'll also get additional coverages like replacement costs, additional living expenses, and loss of use.

At the end of the day, the choice of where you'll be getting flood insurance depends on you. What's really important is that you know your flood risks and have enough protection from all possible outcomes of a flood event such as flood loss and flood damage.

Click the link below to access our Flood Learning Center where we try to answer your questions on flood insurance and beyond.

Remember, we have an educational background in flood mitigation and we want to help you understand flood risks, your flood insurance, and mitigating your property long-term.

Despite no longer using flood zones as a basis for flood insurance rates across the country, flood map updates still have a firm grip over flood insurance. 

In this video, we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly changes coming to Washington County, Wisconsin with this new flood map update; in fact, it happened on February 25th, 2022.

 

Changing Flood Maps

Flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) are constantly updated in order to reflect the current floodplain devolvement and changes to a certain area. Now, you may get a new flood map every other month or sometimes it can take up to years. Simply being "in the know" when it comes to these changes can really help you manage the ever-changing landscape of the flood insurance industry.

Now, when it comes to flood map updates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this generally shows you three separate changes: "in to out movement", "out to in movement", and "in to in movement".

So, what are these changes coming to more than 14,000 properties in Washington County, and how do they impact your flood insurance?

The Good

When it comes to the good changes in flood map updates, this generally falls into the "in to out movement". This is a beneficial change for about 179 properties owners impacted by this movement in Washington County. Generally, this simply means that your property is being removed from the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

It's called this way because a property that's in a high-risk flood zone will be moved out to a low-risk flood zone like a Flood Zone X. Although flood insurance doesn't consider flood zones when it comes to premium rates anymore, this type of movement still holds good news for property owners.

Being moved into a lower-risk flood zone or Flood Zone X when you're previously in a high-risk zone indicates that your property is now facing less risk of flooding. This also means that due to the lower risks, your mortgage company will no longer require you to carry flood insurance on your property.

Although we'd love to tell you to cancel that policy, get your refund, and save more money by removing flood insurance from your expenses, we highly discourage removing flood insurance for your property. Yes! This is especially true if you're in a low-risk flood zone. Mostly, due to the fact that even Flood Zone X gets flooded and sometimes they get flood damage that is substantially worse than those in coastal zones or SFHA.

The Bad

Now, let's move into the bad changes which are coming in form of the aforementioned "out to in movement". This change is expected to impact about 344 properties in Washington County.

In a direct opposite of the good change, this means that if you're one of the properties, you'll be getting moved from outside the SFHA or a low-risk flood zone, and into a high-risk flood zone. Think of it as getting mapped to a Flood Zone A when you were previously in a Flood Zone X.

Again, although this doesn't really impact flood insurance rates directly, it's important to note that Flood Zone A generally means that the area doesn't have a base flood elevation. So floodplain administrators don't really know where and how flooding can start hence you're facing a higher risk than before.

If you don't install the necessary flood prevention or mitigation measures, this will only hurt your premium rates regardless of whether you're doing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy or a private flood insurance one. Properties in Flood Zone A, SFHA, or any high-risk zone are also required to carry flood insurance always.

The Ugly

Lastly, we have the ugly change or "in to in movement" which covers the largest impact on this flood map update for Washington County, Wisconsin. This is due to the fact that about 2,420 properties will retain their flood zone. This means that if you're in Flood Zone AE, you will stay there until the next flood map update.

Equally, "in to in" may also indicate properties that are in Flood Zone X will stay in this low-risk flood zone; however if you're in the SFHA, this might also mean that you're being mapped deeper into it. Think of it as moving from a Flood Zone A to a Flood Zone AE. 

If you're staying in your flood zone this means that you will also retain the same flood insurance rates since your risks also stay the same. On the other hand, if you fall into being moved deeper into the SFHA, which indicates that you're facing a higher risk for flooding, you will also see your premium rates skyrocket.

Being in a flood zone A is already a bad thing, but this can become ugly if you move into a Flood Zone AE because generally, this type of high-risk area in the SFHA indicates that the base flood elevation has been determined.

Now, that you know these changes, it's best to also know your flood insurance options in Washington County especially if you're one of the property owners that are being moved into or are staying in the SFHA where flood insurance is required.

As we further go into the Spring season, we slowly enter into the hurricane season as well. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced twenty-one names for upcoming hurricanes. Although this doesn't mean that we'll certainly get at least twenty-one hurricanes, it's still a good heads up for what might come this hurricane season. Today, we want to talk about the flood map changes coming to Dubuque in the state of Iowa and understand what it can mean for flood insurance.

We want to unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly changes of these flood insurance map (FIRM) changes. We also want to tell you how this can impact your rates and what your flood insurance options are.

Flooding in Iowa

First, we want to cover the flooding that Iowa had experienced in recent years especially in Dubuque in order to understand how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — who analyzed, researched, and created these flood maps — arrived into the update they'll be putting into effect on May 10th (Monday).

In June 2008, Central Iowa was impacted by huge flooding that was considered worse for Iowa if you were to put it beside the Great Flood of 1993. This event totaled six billion dollars in damages and thankfully, no casualties. However, the amount of damages despite the flood mitigation efforts were felt throughout the state. Although Dubuque wasn't impacted compared to other parts of the state, the constant threat of flash floods was always there through the time of the flooding. The cause for this flooding was the warm and wet air clashing with what winter left on the state bringing rainfall and rivers rising.

Three years later, Iowa faced another flooding incident known as the Missouri River Flooding 2011. As expected, the winter leftovers were the culprit for the flooding as there were record snowfalls over Montana and Wyoming plus spring storms or rainfall causing rivers to rise and dams along the Missouri River to release record amounts of water to prevent overflowing. This caused levees across Iowa to collapse bringing flash floods to its local residents.

In retrospect, we've seen how much damages can constant rainfall in Spring can cause and how areas or states close to Iowa can impact flooding as well. This may happen again as we're seeing record levels of snowfall from winter on multiple states and relatively strong storms too.

Now, let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly changes that this new flood map update will bring to residents of Dubuque.

The Good

When it comes to what we call the good changes, this happens when your property is moved out of a high-risk flood zone or some would say "out of a flood zone". Although the latter statement is never true since you're always mapped into a flood zone, it just depends on how high the risks for flooding that you're property's facing is.

In the good flood map changes, this means that you're in an "in to out" movement which is something that around 1200 Dubuque residents will experience on May 10th. This means that previously, the property's mapped in a high-risk flood zone and is moving to preferred flood zones or low-risk flood zones. Some would call this moving to Flood Zone X.

This means that you will also get preferred flood insurance rates and flood insurance won't be required but is still highly recommended. It's important to note that even low-risk flood zones like Flood Zone X are still subject to flooding. In fact, most flood claims are coming from these zones according to FEMA.  Now, when we say preferred rates, this means that you're getting the lowest possible premium rates for your flood insurance compared to those if you're moving into these low-risk zones. This can mean that your flood insurance rate will be around $1,000 or maybe lower than that.

The Bad

Now, when it comes to the bad changes, this is the exact opposite of the good changes. In the case of Dubuque, about 370 residents are moving into high-risk flood zone, like Flood Zone A, when previously they're in a low-risk flood zone. This movement is shown as the "out to in" in these flood map updates.

This means that these homeowners will now be required to carry flood insurance for their property since generally moving into high-risk flood zones prompts mortgage companies to impose mandatory flood insurance for the property. If you don't buy it yourself then your mortgage lender might force-place a policy for your house which is a really bad deal.

Flood insurance rates in these areas will also be higher. If Iowa's average flood insurance rate is about $1,045 then you can expect your premiums to be around this price and up to $3,000 depending on the construction of your house. If your property also has flood claims previously, this can also affect your rates and cause it to go significantly higher.

The Ugly

Now, let's talk about the worst part of these flood map changes which is what we usually call an ugly change. This is because of the movement that around 4200 properties will be going through this May 10th. The movement is shown as the "in to in" because these properties will be moving deeper into the high-risk flood zones or higher-risk flood zones.

The movement might be because you're in a Flood Zone A before the updates and then you're now going to be mapped into Flood Zone AE. This will bring a drastic increase in your flood insurance premiums. If we were to go back to the premiums we mentioned previously, this can go up to $5,000 to $8,000 in FEMA. This is the same for the bad changes since your mortgage will be requiring you to carry a policy, mandatory flood insurance, with your property. The federal flood insurance may also require you to produce and submit additional documents like photos and elevation certificates in order to write a policy for you, and this costs a lot of money as well. 

Now, we want to cover your flood insurance options since we know that this is one of the most important things to prepare for the hurricane season.

Flood Insurance Options

The NFIP

First, let's go through the well-known option which is federal flood insurance. Also known as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the government-backed option where you have to go through FEMA to get your policy here. It's important to note that there are certain red tapes you need to consider when going to federal flood insurance.

The NFIP offers maximum coverage for property damage of up to $250,000 and contents coverage or personal property coverage of $100,000 maximum. It's important to note that this number won't go up for residential properties. This can go up to $500,000 max only for commercial properties with the same coverage for contents. The NFIP won't be covering additional living expenses unless there's a presidential declaration, replacement costs, and loss of use.

It's also important to note that if you're looking to go through FEMA for your flood policy, there will be a strict 30-day waiting period before your policy can take effect. Depending on how fast you process the necessary requirements for flood insurance purchase, this may go up to 60 days especially if there are additional documents being asked.

One of the great things about the NFIP is if you're in a participating community, your Community Rating Score (CRS) can really benefit your flood insurance as this can provide you and your community in Dubuque a discount of up to 40%. Although this depends on your score, there's still a big chance of getting a discount through this program with FEMA. Being in a participating community also gives you access to disaster aid and disaster grants.

The Private Flood

Now, let's talk about the other option that most people might not know about or may shy away from, the private flood insurance market. It's important to note that there's nothing to be scared about the private flood as they do what your federal flood insurance can, if not more.

When it comes to private flood coverage, this doesn't have a coverage limit and maximum amount you can go up to. So, if you want to get more than $250,000 for your house and $100,000, you can do so with these private insurance companies. They also offer extra coverage like additional living expenses, loss of use, and replacement costs even if there's no presidential declaration for the flooding that happened.

It's important to note however that there might be some companies who won't write a policy due to the risks of flooding on your property. This may be due to the property's current flood zone designation or the history of flood loss and flood claims with the house. You won't have to worry about that however since you can still go through other private insurers since there's never one insurance company when it comes to private flood.

Since you're also buying from private insurers, they won't be held back by the red tapes that FEMA has to go through. This is why flood insurance policies from the private market can take effect as soon as you complete your requirements and payment on the flood policy purchase or up to fifteen days.

At the end of the day, being proactive and prepared beats being reactive when it comes to floodings. The choice of where you're getting your flood insurance doesn't really hold that much weight so long as you're making sure that there's a policy ready to save you from potential flood loss. 

So, if you have questions on these flood map changes, the impacts it has on flood insurance for Dubuque, flood insurance options, or anything related to flood, reach out to us using the links below to call, get a quote, or visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel for our daily flood education videos.

Remember, we have an educational background in flood mitigation. We want to help you protect your property from flood risks and preserve its value long term.