Briny Breezes Building Official Deborah Nutter and Town Council President Liz Loper talk with Judith Kraft at a public meeting on the maps. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Kathleen Kernicky
Judith Kraft has watched the flooding worsen since she moved to Briny Breezes in 2003.
Now even a heavy rainstorm or king tides require Kraft to move her car down the block and away from the rising water on her street.
“I live by the dip in the road. It’s like a big pool in front of my house,” said Kraft, whose mobile home is about halfway between the ocean and State Road A1A.
Kraft’s home is one of 5,800 Palm Beach County coastal parcels being added to special flood hazard areas in the new flood maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. About 900 parcels will be downgraded from high-risk to low-risk zones when the new maps take effect Dec. 20.
Residents in the high-risk zones (those beginning with letters A or V) who hold a federally backed mortgage are required to purchase flood insurance.
The new maps will also affect more than 16,000 parcels in Palm Beach County — most east of Interstate 95 — where the base flood elevation will increase by one foot to six feet or more.
Those residents will have to elevate their homes if they want to rebuild or undertake major renovations. Under Florida law, the lowest floor of a building must be at least one foot higher than the base flood elevation.
Kraft, a retiree on a fixed income, attended the first of three public meetings held by FEMA in the county in September to get answers. She worries about the higher cost of flood insurance and whether she will be safe in her home. She currently pays $372 per year for flood insurance, a figure she expects to go up. “I’m on a very tight budget,” she said.
While the impact of the new maps and the cost of flood insurance vary by location and specific parcels, FEMA’s message is clear: Every property is in a flood zone, and everyone is at risk.
About 40% of all federal insurance claims occur outside a high-risk area. Just one inch of water inside a house can cause $25,000 in property damage, according to the Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning and Building Department.
“Low risk doesn’t mean no risk,” said Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, FEMA risk communications specialist. “Ultimately, these maps are important for people to get a true understanding of their individual risk and be able to protect their lives and their property.
“This is an opportunity to look at these maps before they become effective and consider getting flood insurance, even if you’re not in a high-risk area. That is the best way to protect the financial investment of your home. If there is a flooding event, people with insurance recover and get back to normal more quickly.’’
FEMA currently issues 128,737 flood insurance policies in Palm Beach County. Of those, 87,895 fall within high-risk special flood hazard areas.
The cost of flood insurance varies by property and location. An average cost can range from $724 per year for property between Military Trail and El Rio Canal in Boca Raton, to an average of $1,377 per year for Delray Beach property between Dixie Highway and the Atlantic Ocean.
Homeowners’ insurance does not cover storm damage caused by flooding, which is defined as rising water caused by storm surges, overflowing rivers, streams, lakes and other water sources.
The new flood maps are based on a nine-year FEMA study focusing on coastal zones nationwide. New technology and modeling were used to update old data that dated back to 1979.
“The confidence level and the amount of detail the current maps are depicting is much stronger because we have much better science behind it,” said Kristen Martinenza, FEMA risk analysis branch chief.
Representatives from FEMA as well as Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes, Delray Beach, Highland Beach, Hypoluxo, Ocean Ridge and Palm Beach County attended the meeting. Among their biggest concerns: Making sure residents are aware of the new maps and flood zones.
“People need to know if they’re going to be affected,” said Michael Griffin, development services supervisor for the city of Boynton Beach. Those who don’t have insurance and live in high-risk zones should purchase it before the December deadline, when the new building elevation requirements take effect.
“In a nutshell, the flood risk for every resident is changing because all the flood maps are changing,” said Madison Brown, development permit manager for the city of Delray Beach. “Some flood risks are increasing while some risks are decreasing. Everyone potentially could see a change.”
For more information, visit FEMA.gov. For information about flood insurance, visit floodsmart.gov or call the FEMA Insurance Exchange at 877-336-2627. To find your flood zone, visit pbc.gov/pzb and click New FEMA Flood Maps.
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