Winthrop Homeowners Urged to Check New FEMA Flood Maps

The Town of Winthrop’s recent appeal of the proposed 2013 FEMA Flood Maps for Winthrop was successful. FEMA has agreed to make several modifications to the proposed maps that will positively impact homeowners here. The changes that have been made to the maps reduces the number of homes and properties that will be impacted by the flood maps. However, the new 2015 Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) still include an increase in the floodplain of the town. The increase in the floodplain, which is used to determine applicability for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), will still include many more homes than on previous flood maps. The Town Manager and Town Council are urging all homeowners to review the new 2015 FIRM maps either by going to the FEMA website at https://msc.fema.gov/ or by reviewing the maps in the Winthrop Building Department on Kennedy Road. If your home or property has been added to the flood map, you should contact your insurer to purchase flood insurance as soon as possible. The rates for flood insurance can increase dramatically, once the new flood maps are adopted by the town later this year.

“Seventy-six percent of the parcels under review in the new maps will see their insurance rates drop,” said Town Manager James McKenna at last week’s town council meeting. “Thirty parcels were redacted, which helps avoid the cost of Draconian cost of flood insurance. Some will find reduced insurance.”

Homeowners should also know that they have the right to appeal the inclusion of their home in the floodplain, by filing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), based on your home’s elevation in relation to the expected flood elevation for your property. The procedure for filing a LOMA is included on the FEMA website and homeowners should know they will likely be required to produce an elevation certificate to accompany their LOMA.