Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, May 05, 2016

Senator Intercedes In Ocean City Flood Insurance Map Snafu

OCEAN CITY — Just one week after Ocean City officials learned an apparent error in federal flood zone mapping has left some oceanfront property owners facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in flood insurance premiums, State Senator Jim Mathias (D-38) has reached out to the state’s congressional leaders to intercede on the resort’s behalf.

Last July, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued new flood insurance rate maps for the Town of Ocean City that recognized the value of the dune system constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the ongoing beach replenishment project by locating the VE Flood Zone, or the most onerous flood insurance rate designation, “seaward of the landward toe of the primary frontal dune system.” In simpler terms, FEMA concluded the eastern edge of the long-established dune line should be the line of demarcation of sorts for the higher flood insurance rates and any properties west of the primary dune would fall into a lesser flood zone designation.

However, in a few areas of the resort, particularly along condo row from 93rd to 123rd streets, FEMA has determined through its new maps an existing secondary dune, built in front of several oceanfront properties in the early 1980s is now the standard by which the VE Flood Zone is determined. As early as 1983, the town mandated certain new oceanfront projects construct a dune in front of the properties to protect them somewhat from storms, coastal flooding and beach erosion.

More

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Somerset's flood plain had doubled while Dorchester County's has shrunk by 50%. Somerset officials refused to dispute it, even though the same waters affect Somerset that affect Dorchester. More proof that Somerset county commissioners are incompetent.

Anonymous said...

Rich white people problems.

Anonymous said...

We have people who can't afford medicine they need to live and Mathias is asking the government to subsidize the wealthy for choosing to live on the ocean? He is a typical Democrat.
1:37 That will never happen because until new blood comes in.It's sad when 2 or 3 families run the entire show down there.

Anonymous said...

Building million $ property that at some time will be demolished = insanity and should not be subsidized by average income working folks.



Anonymous said...

Blinded by ideology much? Not a bailout, the mapping was not done correctly and uses the wrong dune as the line for the flood zone. Has nothing to do with politics or giving anyone money.

Anonymous said...

Hey 2:53 -- So if your had an insurance bill that was always $220 a year, and then suddenly it shot up to $4,640 wouldn't that bother you? Wouldn't it scare you and drive you crazy? Then - what if the price change was because of a mistake the insurance company made? Wouldn't you want someone like your local legislator to look into that?

Now multiply those numbers times 100 and that's what some BUSINESS owners are dealing with in Ocean City. It's not just homeowners, but the businesses on the beach that run hotels and condos, that employ hundreds of people, and provide a lot of tax money to the govt coffers ... tax money that sometimes will go BACK to HELP who can't afford medication!!

You need to remember that it's not always wealthy people who have a home at the beach. So many of our tourists are folks who have saved all their lives, and get the satisfaction of knowing their hard work and savings will get them the beach house they've wanted for years. Think about THAT.