Planning and Environmental Services
"Building a Brighter Tomorrow"

FLOODPLAIN INFORMATION
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In 2004 FEMA began the process of redelineating the 100-year floodplain boundaries for Macomb County municipalities. The new maps take advantage of revised data and improved technologies for identifying flood hazards. The up-to-date maps support a flood insurance program that is more closely aligned with actual risk, encourage wise floodplain management, and increase the public’s flood hazard awareness.

The updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM's) are in their final stage of review before they become binding. The appeal process is currently open to public comment and runs from August to October 2005. Once the maps receive final approval the only means of appeal are through FEMA. It is strongly recommended that property owners check whether they are affected by FEMA's new map updates. If it has been determined that your dwelling now resides inside the 100-year floodplain and is required to have flood insurance, you can obtain reduced insurance premiums prior to the maps adotion at the local level.

Q: What is a floodplain?
A: A floodplain is an area adjacent to a river, lake or stream that will be inundated by water when a flood occurs. Every river, lake or stream has a floodplain associated with it.

Q: What is the floodway?
A: It is the area of the floodplain that should be reserved (kept free of obstructions) to allow floodwaters to move downstream. Placing fill or buildings in a floodway may block the flow of water and increase flood heights. Because of this, your community will require that you submit engineering analyses before it approves permits for development in the floodway.

Q: What is a 100-year flood?
A: The term "100-year flood" is often incorrectly used and can be misleading. It does not mean that only one flood of that size will occur every 100 years. The term is a statement of probability that scientists and engineers use to describe how one flood compares to others that are likely to occur. Today, we use the phrase "1-percent annual chance flood." What it means is that there is a 1-percent chance of a flood of that size happening in any year. Over a 100-year period, it has a 63.5-percent chance of occurring. Even more surprising is that over a 30-year period (typical mortgage period), the 1-percent annual chance flood has a 26-percent chance of occurring. This means a home in the mapped flood hazard area is five times more likely to be damaged by flood than to have a major fire.

Q: What is a 100-year floodplain?
A: The area that will be inundated by the 100-year flood. It is also the area that is referred to by FEMA as the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). It is the area of a community where development must be regulated through a local ordinance conforming to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Q: What is FEMA?
A: FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is an independent agency of the federal government with the mission "to reduce loss of life and property and protect out nation's critical infrastructure from all types of hazards through a comprehensive, risk-based, emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery".

Q: How do I know if my property is in a FEMA floodplain?
A: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM's) showing the 100-year floodplain for all communities in Macomb County. These maps are available for viewing at the local municipalities in hardcopy (paper) form and at the front counter of the Department of Planning and Economic Development in digital format. You can call our office or stop in to view the maps. Maps cannot be faxed or e-mailed to you because of the nature of these federal maps. Be prepared to provide the location of your property by address, description of location, or parcel ID number.

Q: What is the difference between FEMA designated zones A, AE, and X.
A: Zone A is an area of the 100-year floodplain that has not been studied in sufficient detail to determine the water surface elevation of the 100-year flood. Zone AE is the area of the 100-year floodplain with the elevation of the 100-year flood available and the floodway designated. Zone X is an area inundated by the 500-year storm or areas outside of land inundated by the 500-year storm.

Q: What is the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and what is their purpose?
A: The U.S. Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a Federal program enabling property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance as a protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain management regulations that reduce future flood damages. Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between communities and the Federal Government. If a community adopts and enforces a floodplain management ordinance to reduce future flood risk to new construction in floodplains, the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses. This insurance is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to reduce the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods.

Q: Why am I required to buy flood insurance?
A: Under the National Flood Insurance Program Reform Act, if a building securing a loan is located within a federally identified 100-year floodplain and the lender is federally regulated, supervised or insured, flood insurance must be required as a condition of the loan. Under the Act, if the lender makes a loan on a structure that is in the 100-year floodplain and does not require the flood insurance, they will be subject to fines.

Q: How do I determine if my property needs to carry flood insurance? (Only relates to property using a federally backed mortgage)
A: Contact your local municipality or the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development which have copies of the updated maps.

Q: How can I prove I am not in the floodplain so I do not need to purchase flood insurance?
A: The first thing you need to do is determine if your house is in the floodplain. If only a portion of your property is in the floodplain, but the house is not within the floodplain, there are no federal requirements for the purchase of flood insurance. Contact your lender to be sure they have located your property correctly. If the house is within the floodplain on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, the only way to remove the flood insurance purchase requirement is to apply to FEMA for a letter of map amendment (LOMA). A LOMA requires that the property owner submit elevation information that demonstrates that the structure is above the 100-year flood elevation. The elevation certificate and the LOMA can be downloaded from FEMA’s website. These forms are also available from the local DEQ office or the Lansing DEQ office at 517-373-1170. Read more on LOMA's

If a property owner wishes to present information to FEMA; either the local government or the property owner can contact FEMA for a technical appeal (Should be substantiated with information to prove change.) Contacts for FEMA are: FEMA Region 5 - Mary Jo Mullen (312) 408-5541; or FMSM Consultants for Regions 5 - Justin Gray (502) 212-5000.

Once the maps receive final approval (appeal period is from August-October 2005), then the only means to contest the binding Flood Insurance Rate Map will be through either of two means: LOMA "local map amendment" (initiated by property owner); or LOMAR "local map revision" (initiated through a federally based study). For study initiated by property owners, the process will need to be approved by FEMA prior to submission, and will include a $400.00 fee plus the cost of a licensed survey. All contests are determined by FEMA as to whether they are substantive.

Q: I have never been in a floodplain before and my property has never flooded but now my mortgage company and/or insurance provider is wanting me to secure flood insurance because my house is now designated in the floodplain.
A: Usually this is caused by a refinance, replat, or add-on construction requiring a building permit. This can also be caused by updated FEMA flood maps. One solution to this issue is to secure an Elevation Certificate. If the Elevation Certificate states that your slab (or lowest level of the dwelling - including basement) is high enough above the floodplain, you may satisfy your mortgage lender or qualify for reduced insurance rates.

Q: Does the presence of wetlands on my property mean that I cannot build?
A: Not necessarily. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regulates wetlands that meet certain criteria. Contact the MDEQ at 517-241-1515 or visit the Wetlands Protection portion of the MDEQ website to obtain additional information.

Q: Where can I find information and answers to general floodplain questions on protecting my home from flooding?
A: Please visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) website at http://www.fema.com.

To view existing binding maps for all areas nationally, the following website can be used: http://store.msc.fema.gov

To determine the level of flood risk: www.floodsmart.gov

To view map updates as presented to the public, one must view this at the local government in which the property is located or contact our office.