Have you seen the flood map? You may be able to get out of it more easily. The flood maps are horrible, show the streams a couple of major roads (usually inaccurate). Lenders contract out to companies who then try to superimpose your property boundaries based on the tax maps onto the flood map. Many times a property will be PARTIALLY within the flood zone. That will be reported to the lender who many times will just require the insurance. However, if the structure itself is not within the zone, it should not be required.

PM me for more details...I used to do this for a living and worked with FEMA when the requirements came about in the early 90s.

I forget the elevation my home sits at, but we are at the top of a hill in Northeast Philly, with everything around us heading downward.Since living here, the only "flooding" we had was when our neighbors' drains were blocked by trash -- not uncommon for them. Now we take to keeping an eye on their drain -- not for their sake, but ours!

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Can you only buy flood insurance if you are inside the flood lines on the FEMA maps, and if so, would it be a drastically reduced prices since the likelihood would be so much slimmer? For example, on the map with my neighborhood of S. Philly on it, we are 2 blocks away from zone X, which I believe is the 500 year flood line.

I would never pay 1000 per year if it was not required, for example, but I might consider 100 or 200 if it protected me from the probably never in my lifetime chance of a major hurricane directly hitting South Philly and inundating our basement, etc.

Anyone can get flood insurance and it is VERY cheap if you aren't in a special flood hazard area.

Zone X is NOT a Special Flood Hazard Area. Everywhere is a zone. In laymans terms zone X would mean you aren't in a flood zone. There is a risk of flooding anywhere, but zone X is outside the areas where lenders require insurance.

If you are 2 blocks from zone X...what zone are you in?

A = 100 year
B = 500 year

and then there are some other weird ones I don't remember off the top of my head.

Also...flood insurance will not cover all the contents of your basement:

COVERAGE IN BASEMENTS

National Flood Insurance covers structural elements, essential equipment and other basic items normally located in a basement, such as:

• Unfinished drywall for walls and ceilings, including nonflammable insulation
• Electrical junction and circuit breaker boxes, and required utility connections
• Central air-conditioning units
• Furnaces, hot-water heaters, fuel tanks and the fuel inside them, and heat pumps
• Light fixtures
• Foundation elements
• Cleanup.

However, National Flood Insurance doesn't cover basement improvements such as finished walls, floors or ceilings, or personal belongings that may be kept in a basement, such as furniture and other contents.

Thanks for the very useful information.

The map I have is one I actually ordered from FEMA after hurricane Katrina last fall.

On the map, there are 2 zone X's
- Gray zone X says it is inside the 500 yr flood plain and possibly also could get 100 yr flooding less than one ft deep (this one largely falls on the E. side of Moyomensing Ave.);
- White zone X which is where my house is located, and is 2-4 blocks from the edge of gray zone X (the line curves a bit so I think it's actually closer to 3 or 4 blocks away at my part of the street).

Further to flooding in Philly, the NFIP has a comprehensive document on flood history of the Philadelphia region, and it shows that upper Delaware River (Yardley/Trenton) gets flooded much more severely than lower (i.e. South Philadelphia), and also that the Schuylkill River floods much more frequently than the Delaware River. This is because of development that squeezes the river into a narrower slot and forces the water higher at those "chokepoints." I didn't order this doc., but I read a lot of it online last year. It hasn't been updated since the 1970s so Hurricane Floyd and other monster storms are not reflected in it.

Didn't you ever study statistics in high school or college? The fact that it hasn't flooded at a certain point in the last 75 years has absolutely zero to do with whether or not it will flood this year. In your example, the chance of it flooding this year is still 1% (1 over 100).

To put it another way: If you flip a coin once a year, that could be considered a "2-year" event. In any given year, the chance of getting heads is 1 in 2, or 50%. If, for the past 75 years, you flipped tails every time, the chance of getting heads this year is STILL 1 in 2.

I agree with your last part, though. Unless you lived in New Orleans and the flooding was due to ineptly designed Army Corps levees, but that's another story.

It doesn't work quite that way. You are describing statistics based on random chance. That rule only works for random variables. Flooding is not a completely random event. It is a quantitative variable.

You have to look at probability theories to get the full picture. To clarify, there is a near 100% chance of flooding within any 100 year period for a 100 year flood zone. Therefore, if it hasn't flooded in 75 years, there is a 75% probability that it will this year.

Do you have a number where I can reach you at PhillyKev? You seem knowledgeable & I know you use to work with or for Fema. If I explain to you what you need to know and you think there is a chance of getting me out of the mortgage company forcing the flood insurance upon me or even could get a elevation I would rather pay you for your services. Thanks.

Cappa

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are you in x or x shaded... because zone c and x are both clear of any special flood hazard areas....see descriptions of zone x, c, or x shadded or x500 and B.

X, C
Areas of minimal flood hazard from the principal source of flood in the area and determined to be
outside of the 0.2 percent annual chance floodplain. (Zone X is used on new and revised maps in
place of Zone C).
X (Shaded), X500, B
Areas of moderate flood hazard from the principal source of flood in the area and determined to be
between the limits of the one percent annual chance floodplain and the 0.2 percent annual chance
floodplain. (Shaded Zone X is used on new and revised maps in place of Zone B).

That said, I worked at a flood shop for 6 years ...check out this website for FAQ to flood zones and insurance. http://fafds.floodcert.com/faqs/#faq3 or www.floodcert.com and go to the FAQ section.

Bottomline, if you are not in a flood hazard area as long as you community participates you can get flood insurance at much lower rates than someone required too.

good luck!

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