Scartz Surveys

Description

We became involved with this type of work as a result of Federally insured mortgages requiring Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood information to be added to our residential and commercial survey plats. We soon became very aware that the flood plain maps were "approximate" at best, and that the use of the maps was intended to show Special Flood Hazard areas in general and were never meant to pinpoint locations as they are being used today. We have found that almost all FEMA maps are lacking any vertical information and probably half don't have base flood elevations. In the early 1990's FEMA started a mapping program to test methods of getting vertical information on properties in or near Special Flood Hazard areas. Our firm became one of the sub-contractors to develop procedures to perform low cost elevation certificates. In 1996, our firm worked on a Price-Waterhouse Coopers study to evaluate flood plain mapping, nationwide. The study was an effort to determine if a large number of properties near previously mapped flood zones would actually be in the Flood zone when elevations were determined. Our firm checked 9 out of a total of 22 communities involved in the study across the US. We found that the opposite was true. We found that a large number of properties earlier understood to be in flood zones and subject to pay flood insurance were incorrectly mapped and should be exempted from the requirement. Since then, we are not aware of FEMA actively pursuing getting elevations data on properties in flood plains. Now it appears to us that the only means left to correct mapping errors is by the individual affected or local public works offices. In 1999, we were awarded a contract from Prince William County, VA where we did Elevation Certificates on approximately 700 houses located in a 1995 FEMA flood plain map. We successfully removed almost 40% of the listed properties from the Special Flood Hazard Area saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in needless flood insurance premiums. While it may appear we are Anti-FEMA, that is not the case. We are strong supporters of a NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program). However being surveyors and mappers , we are strongly opposed to poor or inaccurate maps. We feel that it is unfair to mandate insurance requirements on properties located in "A" (Approximate) zones where base flood elevations have never been determined, and unless an elevation certificate is obtained and a complete flood study conducted, a property can be adversely affected for years with no reasonable way to correct for possible erroneous mapping. We also don't understand why it is necessary for all mortgage applications to be required to pay for a Flood Certification. By reviewing data from flood determination firms, we have found that about 97% of all properties are outside of the Special Flood Hazard Areas but still have to pay between $10-25 dollars to obtain this form as part of their mortgage application.

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