Quick Update on Long Island Flood Insurance

Summer is the season where everybody on Long Island has much better things to do than think about their insurance (as opposed to the rest of the year, when it's everybody's favorite pastime). But there is one item I wanted to post about since it may affect some of the readers.

FEMA, the government agency that oversees the National Flood Insurance Program, has been in the process of re-mapping Nassau and Suffolk counties, which is done about every 10 years. This is the first one for our area since Katrina so expect some changes.

The new maps take effect next summer. But in the meantime FEMA is hosting two meetings in Nassau County for anyone who might be interested in more information. The meetings will run from 4 to 8 p.m. and will be on September 9 at Valley Stream High School on Fletcher Blvd and September 10 at Long Beach Middle School on Lido Blvd.

According to the Newsday article, 28,000 more buildings will be brought into flood hazard areas next year when the new maps take effect, and of those, the people who have mortgages insured by FNMA and other government backed plans will get a letter advising that they are now required to buy flood insurance where they did not have to before.

In the meantime, people have an opportunity to be 'grandfathered' into the maps and plans that are in effect now. If you buy flood insurance before the change next summer, and your flood zone changes under the new maps to a higher rate, you will still be able to keep the previous zone. So if you think you might be on the border of a flood zone, and may be in a higher rate class next year, you might think of buying coverage now to lock in your current zone.