Have you been informed by your lender or insurance company that 

                                your home or business requires flood insurance?

 

     Thank you for ordering this step by step FEMA Flood Zone resource guide.  This FEMA Flood Zone resource guide will help you determine if your property could be exempt from any flood insurance requirement.  Please read through for INSTRUCTIONS and links which will make this an easier task.  Remember, too, 

www.floodzonesecrets.com

 is here to help you save, BIG!

     If you have an outstanding mortgage on your structure and you have found your way to this website, chances are your lender has notified you that it is necessary for you to acquire flood insurance.  Flood insurance is required for structures located within a “special flood hazard area” SFHA. 

 

     The National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 was aimed at increasing compliance with flood insurance requirements and therefore published maps indicating these SFHA’s.  This act says if you live in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and your home or business is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) your lender has no choice but to require flood insurance for the structure. 

 

     The SFHA is the area that has at least a 1% chance annually of flooding.  Whether or not you are in a SFHA is determined by the current effective “FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map” (FIRM).  The FIRM has shaded areas that are labeled as an "A" or "V" zone.  FEMA Flood Maps If a structure is located geographically in one of these "A" or "V" zones then it is considered in a SFHA. FEMA did not take into consideration specific properties when designing these maps, these areas are based on floodplains and consistent elevations.  So, if your structure is located within the boundaries of the flood map and any part of it touches the SFHA, the structure is then considered to be within the flood zone and flood insurance is mandatory by the lender.  The burden of proof is upon you to show that your structure is misclassified.

  STEP ONE  Fill in the required fills for a product search by address on the left side of the page below:

 

    

  STEP TWO  Click on the green view button!

 

   STEP THREE  This is the specific map associated with the address previously entered.  You can increase the Scale for better viewing by adjusting the white scale window or by putting your pointer over the desired area of the map and click or click "zoom in".                                                                                                                                    

 

 

The shaded areas represent the SFHA.  This map will display the location of your structure as a general view.  So, if your structure appears to touch any of the shaded area, you are classified as being within a SFHA.  You will want to print this map with the proper “Firm Panel Numbers” for submission with your Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA).

Keep in mind that detailed instructions on how to interpret the maps are discussed within:

     FEMA has, however, provided within the FEMA manual the ability for each structure owner to submit for review a “Letter of Map Amendment” (LOMA).  This is a request for FEMA to review supporting documents which you supply in hopes of obtaining a Letter of Map Removal from FEMA.

     What now?  You may simply be in a SFHA and flood insurance is necessary.  In these cases you will need to obtain the adequate coverage and rest easy that you are covered in the event of a flood.  If you believe the FIRM is inadvertantly showing your structure in the SFHA you do have an option.  A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is a document issued by FEMA stating that even though a structure is shown in a SFHA on the FIRM, it has been determined that the lowest adjacent grade is at or above the base flood elevation (BFE) and it is actually not in the SFHA.  When this occurs it is a considered a "Removal Letter".  This is an official amendment to the FIRM by FEMA and lenders can use it to waive the flood insurance requirement.

 

     How does one get a LOMA?  You will have to provide FEMA with a completed elevation certificate showing the structure elevations and the BFE.  The elevation certificate must be completed by a licensed surveyor or engineer.  This is where FEMA's policy of "the burden of proof is on the homeowner" comes into play.  You have to prove that the flood map is incorrect.  The elevation certificate is going to cost $400 and up.  Prices vary depending on factors such as whether or not there are elevation benchmarks near the structure.  Once you have the elevation certificate completed you will be able to compare the lowest adjacent grade to the BFE.  The lowest adjacent grade must be at or above the BFE.  This is all that FEMA looks at. Your finished floor elevation can be 5 feet above the BFE, but if the lowest adjacent grade is below you will not be approved.  If the lowest adjacent grade is not at or above the BFE you must obtain flood insurance.  At this point there is no way of getting around it and frankly you need it anyway.

 

     You can apply for the LOMA after obtaining flood insurance.  Many times it's necessary to close your loan if you are trying to avoid losing a good rate.  In this case you do have to get the flood insurance, at least for the time being.  If you are successful in your LOMA application to FEMA you are entitled to receive a full refund of premiums paid for the current policy year.  In some cases the current and previous year premiums may be refunded if you have carried insurance for a longer period of time.  All how to instructions are included in the Ebook series or our Trade Mark Service "Leisure Cruise" which we offer. 

  STEP FOUR

Download the LOMA request form at the address bar within the screen shot below.  The MT-EZ form should be used by an “individual property owner to request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency remove the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) designation from a single structure or a legally recorded parcel of land or portion thereof by issuing a Letter of Map Amendment.”

 

Additional forms are available on the FEMA Maps Service Forms website for non-residential requests.  “MT-1 Forms The forms in this package are to be used to request multiple-lot/multiple-structure LOMAs, CLOMAs, LOMR-Fs, and CLOMR-Fs.”

Just click on the MT-EZ application form as it will appear in your form search illustrated below on the screenshot provided.  Read the application and instructions, pay particular attention to the non-fill requirements on the application.

 

I address insights to the fill issues within                                                                                               

 This application download will give you all the requirements for submitting your LOMA request.  Follow them carefully for the best possible outcome for your structure. 

 

      FEMA is the only institution which can provide Letters of Map Removal.  Many companies offer flood determinations.  However, these are usually performed by companies involved with selling flood insurance in some form or another.  Most determination companies will not review the archives to gather all the facts surrounding your structure.  This is a full line of service which I provide via:

     and    My TradeMark Service “Leisure Cruise”