Flood Plain
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been in the process of upgrading their federal insurance rate maps nationwide. They have proposed new maps for every community in Norfolk County. This site will provide the opportunity for town’s people to review the proposed map and to locate individual homes and structures. Although the flood plain elevations remain consistent with our maps of 1982, the proposed 2010 version is much more specific.
Locating your property is important for two reasons. First, if the new maps show that your house is not in the flood plain, you may be able to present that information to your federal lender and be exempt from the requirement of obtaining national flood insurance. Conversely, if you never had to purchase flood insurance in the past, but even a portion of your dwelling is located in the flood plain, you will now be required to purchase the flood insurance. If this is the case, you may be able to purchase the insurance at a “grandfather rate” potentially saving a substantial amount of money as opposed to being notified by the federal insurance program that insurance is now a mandatory requirement.
Your local lender may have different requirements from the federal lenders that are triggered as a result of the new flood plain mapping.
The town is proposing to have several community information sessions prior to the new mapping taking effect next July 1st. The first meeting is proposed in South Bellingham in mid September. Please periodically check this website and your local newspaper for more information as that date approaches.