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Palm Beach County Gets First Look At New Flood Zone Maps

Christine DiMattei

In the program room of the Boynton Beach City Library, 80-year-old Harvey Levine is handed a numbered ticket and a form to fill out. He then sits down and waits for his number to be called.

The room is divided into stations marked "Property Look-up," "Insurance Information,"  "Appeals and Comments,"  and "Community Assistance." This is one of several public open houses hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Levine is here to learn the status of his Lake Worth condo.

"I want to find out how safe my living quarters are right now from flood. And then I'm planning on moving. I'd like to find out what the flood areas are -- so I won't buy there," says Levine.

Palm Beach County officials say they've been working hard to make sure those flood-prone areas are few.

"There are some anomalies.  Some areas of the map that county staff has some concerns with," says Doug Wise, the county's Building Division Director. "They're much improved from where they were this time last year.  But there are still areas of concern."

FEMA released revised flood-zone maps in July of 2013 to replace maps that were over 30 years old. But the agency had to go back to the drawing board after a public outcry from Palm Beach County property owners. Residents and public officials said the updated maps didn't factor in three decades worth of flood-control and building improvements in certain areas.

A lack of funding is partly to blame for the delay in getting the maps updated. 

"Congress finally decided to give us some money," says Mark Vieira, a senior civil engineer for FEMA.  "And we started to do the studies. Then we had some issues trying to make sure the study was done correctly. And then we had some issues trying to get all the data."

Are You Living in a High-Risk Flood Zone? Click Here For Palm Beach County's Online Map, Searchable By Address

The preliminary maps move roughly 36,000 Palm Beach County properties out of high-risk zones. But about 62,000 properties previously in the clear are now listed as high-risk. And that means higher insurance bills for many residents already dealing with costly premiums.

Flood insurance is mandatory for properties located in high-risk flood areas with mortgages from federally-regulated lenders. Vieira says the open houses include some guidance about the National Flood Insurance Program:

"We have three representatives from FEMA that will talk about flood insurance and the program itself and some of the requirements and encourage people to get the flood insurance," he says.

The newly released maps are not a done deal. Property owners will have a 90-day public comment period during which they can express concerns and file appeals.

Harvey Levine considers himself lucky; he's just found out his condo is located in a very low-risk zone. But he says he's going to look into buying flood insurance -- just in case.

"It probably could save me a lot of grief in the long run," says Levine.

FEMA will hold two more public open houses this week:

Wednesday, Sept. 10
Belle Glade Civic Center and Library, 725 NW Fourth St., Belle Glade

Thursday, Sept. 11
Jupiter Community Center, 200 Military Trail, Jupiter

Christine DiMattei is WLRN's Morning Edition anchor and also reports on Arts & Culture.
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