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The City of Charleston does not require “Substantially Damaged” determinations after flooding, does not inspect homes after flooding and allows homes to be built below the BFE (Base Flood Elevation) in Flood Zones.

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The City of Charleston provides a sweetheart deal to the developers and provides a “variance” for the properties that are built below the BFE.

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Shortly thereafter these homes flood. Many of them repetitively flood. The flood policyholders in the National Flood Insurance program have to pick up the bill.  (SRL and RL properties have cost the NFIP over 12 Billion in flood claims).

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Another problem found by the fraud investigation started by @Ana Zimmerman , Phd, when a home floods, the city of Charleston does not require permits to rebuild. The city of Charleston also does not provide a “Substantially Damaged” determination after a home floods.  Homes are patched together, resold to other unsuspecting homeowners and the home floods again…… repeat.

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Another problem found by Ana Zimmerman was that up until 2017 Charleston NEVER issued a substantially damaged determination on any property!  Ana basically had to file a lawsuit to have her home deemed substantially damaged so her home, which is in foreclosure, will not be flipped to another unsuspecting home buyer. (Her home had flooded 5 times previous to her buyer her home.   This information was never disclosed to her!   Shortly after purchasing her home it flooded an additional 2 more times.  We find it impossible that a community that floods so regularly, https://www.postandcourier.com/news/downtown-charleston-broke-record-for-flooded-days-last-year-rain/article_266c0424-4b9d-11e7-959e-53ca41732680.html , that they completely ignored protecting homeowners by not inspecting homes and providing Substantial Damaged determinations after a flood.

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So many unsuspecting homeowners bought homes that were Substantially Damaged and were Severe Repetitive Loss properties. On top of that many of these hastily rebuilt homes, that never required inspections, had mold and Ana’s child contacted a respiratory illness.

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Because of the Fraud Investigation started by @Ana Zimmerman over 2,100 previously flood homes will now have to disclose that they have been flooded.

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Because of the Fraud investigation the city of Charleston is reviewing 2,100 previously flooded homes. If they are determined to be Substantially Damaged / Substantially Improved they will need to be elevated.

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We find it unfair that communities across the country are required to abide by the Substantially Damaged regulation, but some communities ignore this with regulation without ramification. 

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Furthermore we do not understand how the City of Charleston can be receiving any CRS discounts for their community.  Discounts are given to communities for complying with FEMA rules and mitigating future flooding in their community.

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After not following all these FEMA / NFIP regulations how does Charleston receive a 20% CRS discount when they act as follows;

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– Allowed New homes to be built 3 feet below the BFE.
– Does not require permits to rebuild flooded homes.
– Does not require “Substantially Damaged” determination after a flood.
– Had never provided a Substantially Damaged Determination until a lawsuit ensued in 2017.
– Allows “Fill and Build” development in flood zone communities, flooding adjacent developments that never flooded.  Causing man made flooding.

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If you have high flood insurance premiums, repetitive losses, required to elevate or other flood zone issues please join us at www.facebook.com/groups/stopfemanownj and www.StopFemaNow.com

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Read the full story here https://www.postandcourier.com/news/fraud-found-in-charleston-flooded-homes-case-but-builder-will/article_7ef8e89e-1c49-11ea-baec-dba627bba42c.html?fbclid=IwAR14HHxsRwIHI2jBPafDtmD2JQSe69WEDzeF7Sy2QFO4l2pym3EUx2fr4nI

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Brick, NJ – 1,372 homes to be added into the flood zone (+20%)

Toms River, NJ – 628 homes to be added into the flood zone (+5%)

Point Pleasant – 658 homes to be added into the flood zone (+25%)

(Click on pictures below to see how your community will be affected).

If these maps are not voluntarily adopted then the “restudy” of the maps will be completed by 2022 and implemented in 2024.  (For the record, these maps will be ready 12 years after Superstorm Sandy, at the earliest).

We urge anyone who will be added into the flood plain to purchase cheaper “PRP” flood policies now, before you are officially mapped into a flood zone.  This will keep your premiums lower as they eventually rise to the actuarial rate.

Click on Documents below for additional information.

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Congratulations to the elected officials for achieving the 30% discount and striving to obtain a higher discount.  

How much is the flood insurance discount, if any, in your town?  Urge your elected officials to not only join the CRS program but to obtain high discounts!

Read the full story by reading below

“Ocean City has achieved Class 4 in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS). 

According to a release, the designation means all NFIP policyholders with compliant structures in Ocean City will receive a 30 percent discount on their flood insurance.

The CRS program rewards towns that take action to make properties less vulnerable to flooding. The new rating means Ocean City’s 16,729 policyholders will collectively save $3,292,113 every year – an average savings of about $192 per participating home. Any policy that renews after May 1, 2020 will see the savings. 

A team of city employees, community members, and outside experts is already at work on actions that could lead to a Class 3 rating, which would deliver another 5 percent savings. 

The CRS program is designed to encourage building regulations, flood protection measures, educational efforts and other activities to reduce the potential risk of flood damage. Ocean City owners together pay a total of $10,973,710 in insurance premiums protecting more than $4 billion worth of property. 

Only three New Jersey communities have achieved Class 4 or better.”

https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/news/government/article_67519d02-2136-11ea-9b5c-8b0d75a4aa2e.html

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Babylon NY Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer has expressed serious concern about the current house legislation that will increase Flood Premiums to unsustainable levels.

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Babylon, NY joins 12 other cities and counties from New Jersey and Florida who are banding together to keep flood insurance affordable.

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Read the full resolution by clicking on the picture below.

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StopFemaNow and all our Coalition Members want to thank Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer for not only for fighting to keep flood insurance affordable for Babylon residents, but for the 5 million flood policyholders across these United States.

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We now have 12 Resolutions from Mayors, Cities and Counties in Florida and New Jersey.

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More Resolutions are coming.  When is your town getting involved? 

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Please call or email your mayor, send them this resolution, and ask them also pass a similar resolution. Then send it Babylon, NY – “Stop 18% – 25% Flood Insurance Increases”to us, we will share!

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Click here to view the current Resolutions http://www.stopfemanow.com/town-resolutions-to-stop-flood-insurance-increases/

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Please join us;

www.facebook.com/groups/stopfemanownj (Join our interactive Facebook Group)

www.facebook.com/stopfemanow (LIKE our Facebook Page)

www.twitter.com/stopfemanow ( Follow us on Twitter)

www.linkedin.com/stopfemanow ( Connect with us at Linked In)

www.youtube.com/stopfemanow (View our videos on You Tube)

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FEMA is delaying implementation of  Risk Rating 2.0 for another year, starting October 2021 .

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“This prevents potential increases in flood insurance premiums,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said in a news release. 

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FEMA’s plan aims to bring insurance costs more in line with the actual risk of flooding. Proponents have argued for years that such changes are necessary to both discourage people from living in flood-prone areas and to cut the program’s debt to U.S. taxpayers, estimated at more than $20 billion.

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In the short term, what has changed?  NOTHING. 

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Risk Rating 2.0 will affect the “actuarial rate” of the home. 

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About 1 million pre-firm homes, won’t reach their actuarial rate for several years.  The delayed implementation of  Risk Rating 2.0 won’t affect most of these homes for a few years.  The spreadsheet below labeled ‘Flood Premium Increases’ shows how the phase out of subsidies will affect their premiums.

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In the short term we should be focusing on current NFIP Reauthorization legislation.

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Subsidies are still being phased out, and premiums will continue to rise;

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Primary Homes – up to 18% yearly increases until the home reaches it’s actuarial rate.

Second Homes – up to 25% yearly increases until the home reaches it’s actuarial rate.

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Our immediate short term goal should be to contact our Congressmen and Senators and have them vote for the NFIP RE Flood Insurance Bill that will cap premium increases to 9%.  

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There is another bill that will continue the 18%-25% increases, the Maxine Waters bill, which is being fast tracked through the House of Representatives.  

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You can cut and paste the your congressman and senators information here.  http://www.stopfemanow.com/these-senators-and-congressman-are-voting-for-25-flood-premium-increases-call-email-and-tweet-them/

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