Mandeville residents look to get flood insurance relief under new FEMA maps

Newly released FEMA flood maps for Mandeville are expected to save residents hundreds of dollars on flood insurance, city officials said Friday.

View full sizeDavid Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune archiveHurricane Ike storm surge flooding in Old Mandeville was photographed on Sept. 12, 2008.

The new maps are set to be approved months earlier than those covering the rest of St. Tammany, though parish officials said they are working with FEMA to get a similarly expedited process in place for other uncontested flood maps.

The new Mandeville flood maps are the first time FEMA has updated its projections since 1983 and will play a role in determining flood insurance rates for residents. The maps, which are expected to go into effect early next year, show lower base flood elevations, or the elevation at which a structure needs to be built to avoid serious flooding, for the majority of the city.

"It's going to be a substantial difference in construction and a substantial difference in flood insurance," Mayor Donald Villere said.

City officials had not completed maps comparing the changes Friday, but residents can check the status of their own properties athttp://www.lamappingproject.com/dfirm/StTammany_DFIRM/imap.php.

Mandeville officials explained Friday that significant portions of the city have either been moved into a less restrictive flood zone or have seen their base flood elevation decrease by between 1 foot and 4 feet.

That includes about 90 percent of Old Mandeville, where properties below Villere Street saw their base flood elevations drop by more than two feet in most cases, said Chris Brown, floodplain administrator for the city. Those decreases are consistent with the rest of the area, he said.

"Generally speaking, the western half of St. Tammany is seeing significant drops," Brown said.

The lower base flood elevations could also help spur development and keep the character of old Mandeville by allowing buildings to be constructed closer to the ground, Councilman Jeff Bernard said.

"I think it'll get people off the fence," Bernard said.

To take advantage of the new maps, residents will need to have their homes resurveyed and certified, Villere said. The maps are expected to take effect in the first quarter of next year, though city officials are lobbying to see whether residents who have to renew their policies this fall will be able to see rebates after the maps take effect.

A small number of properties in the southern end of West Beach, in the Golden Glen subdivision and on a street in the Woodstone subdivision were moved to more restrictive flood zones on the new maps. However, property owners will be able to keep their current flood insurance premiums as long as they keep up with their coverage. Those insurance rates can also be passed on if a new owner buys the property.

The presentation of the maps represents a victory for Mandeville, which has been pushing to separate the approval of its maps from the approval of maps for the rest of the parish. FEMA's current policy is to approve all maps in a parish at the same time, so even though the maps were completed two years ago, they could not go into effect because of challenges to maps in the Slidell area.

Those appeals could push the first steps in adoption into next year, and it would take longer for the maps to go into effect.

Now, the parish government is looking to follow the same path. Parish spokesman Tom Beale said Friday that officials were pushing for the adoption of other uncontested flood maps elsewhere in St. Tammany.

However, that process has been delayed while FEMA does a feasibility study, and it is unclear whether it will be allowed.

"Whether it be through partial map adoptions or whatever, it needs to be done as soon as possible," Beale said.

City officials plan to speak with local surveyors to see whether they would be willing to offer reduced rates to city residents who need a new certification, Villere said. Doing so would be a good way for the surveyors to get good word-of-mouth advertising and could get the surveyors on a list that the city will hand out at community meetings about the changes, he said.

Those meetings have not yet been scheduled, but Villere said he intends to hold several discussions to inform residents of the requirements of the new law.

FEMA spokeswoman Jackie Chandler said that though the new maps show a lower risk of flooding, residents should still keep up with their flood insurance.

"Everybody, wherever they live, should get flood insurance," she said.

Jeff Adelson can be reached at jadelson@timespicayune.com or 985.645.2852.