Daughter’s house purchase problem

[Dave Hess]

Well, let’s just say that FEMA flood zones are a good starting point but their accuracy can sometimes be lacking. Also, there are better (more accurate) flood modeling sources than FEMA, and the smarter insurers have moved to those avenues.

I’ve always wondered about the accuracy of flood zone maps.

 

[Dave Hess]

I am in Zone X. I honestly don't think they care much because regular home-owners does not cover flood. I carry FEMA flood. I am the definition of insurance poor.

There are far fewer insurers of course, because they don't want anything to do with "coastal" - ie wind even though we are 20 miles in or so. I have a special wind clause - 1% of insured value deductible - which is pretty much as good as it gets, many policies will only go down to 2%.

Yes getting insurance here is hard - but its actually softened up in the last few years seems. Several big companies gave me a quote and they would not a few years ago.

How many miles from the coast are you ?

 

[SC Maintenance]

How many miles from the coast are you ?

20 miles +/- as the crow flies.

 

[dlundblad]

The seller needs to go back to their insurance company and get the record fixed. Every potential buyer is likely to run into this, meaning the seller can't sell their home.

Yes. She needs to have the seller fix this and get back with her once it is. This is a very reasonable request. Not her problem to be jumping through hoops.

It’s a shame for sure since she really likes it.

 

[alarmguy]

I’ve always wondered about the accuracy of flood zone maps.

Mapping the whole country is a best guess situation using all kinds of technology that FEMA has access to.I think I mentioned over 25% of flooding happens outside of flood zones.

I noticed your question to @SC Maintenance how far from the coast is he. The coast doesn't necessarily matter, it's really the body of water near you or at a level that you are not that high above. That can be a lake, stream, drainage area, swamp etc. We are a few miles from the Ocean, we will never flood from seawater, our Apple phones show us 50 feet above sea level. @scmaintenance I assume is near a whole network of Lakes and Rivers coming from higher up Columbia SC and Columbia SC from the Saluda and other rivers coming down from upstate (including Greenville) Being upstate as you know doesn't protect you either as witnessed by the flooding in TN/SC area. (Chimney Rock/Ashville etc) the city and state capital Columbia SC is hundreds of feet above sea level but floods downstream in a wide area below Lake Murray and just past Columbia which is mostly farmland and rural housing, though communities have been built there now (Hopkins SC)

We will at our house in NC flood from an overflowing swamp a mile a way and in my community flood zone AE is only 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, We are X which they say is one in 500, so when did the 500 clock start ticking *LOL*?? Then again, you dont have to be in a flood zone to flood. With that said, much flooding took place 3 hours away on much higher ground this year with some epic rain storms. Here by the coast the fresh rainwater can be looked at as many places to drain into the ocean vs places far from the ocean.


A lot of the coast is the downstate areas as far away and the mountains and fresh water runs down from hundreds of feet higher than the coast and sometimes as we know those higher elevations turn into major disaster areas when they cant handle the water. (Asheville)

Back to the FEMA maps, very helpful because for anyone concerned even if your not in a flood zone, the mapping will show you any places nearby that might be, as well as rivers and streams etc. You can then make your own determination to get flood insurance even if you are not in a designated flood zone or in zone min risk X

(if this doesn't make sense, I'm burnt out writing, *LOL* on top of that, site seems to be slow when I try to "edit")

 

[SC Maintenance]

For @alarmguy

As an example, we had the "1000 year flood" in 2015 I think. 25 inches in 24 hours with more in localized areas. My "500" year flood zone property had no water on it at all, although the 100 year flood plain behind me was completely covered.

A week ago we had 12 inches in some places in 24 hours. This isn't that unusual but some houses up the road a couple miles flooded that did not flood in 2015 - they had been there quite some time and I doubt they were in a flood zone, there along a main road which is much higher ground than my place. What has happened is they have built more houses where the cows were, and put more entrances and more culverts. Some of those culverts appeared to be blocked or just couldn't handle the flow when I drove by.

So the xxx% not in flood zone flooding doesn't surprise me. Everything affects everything and the flood maps are only updated so often.