MyFloodStatus Q and A

As an agent, you field important questions every day. This recent Q&A explores the potential to challenge a current FEMA flood zone status and shows how MyFloodStatus can help you and your clients navigate the process.

Q: My neighbor successfully got a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA, removing their property from high-risk flood status. I had a survey done on my property and I want to do the same as my neighbors. How do I get FEMA to look at the survey I have, officially take my home out of the high-risk flood zone, and give me something I can show the bank so that I no longer need to carry flood insurance?

A: You will need to challenge the flood zone status. Upon reviewing the survey and MyFloodStatus report on this property, we can confirm that the structure is located within FEMA's Zone A, which is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) that requires flood insurance. For a structure to be removed from the SFHA, the structural elevations shown on an Elevation Certificate (EC) will need to be above Base Flood Elevation (BFE). The missing piece of this situation is that FEMA has not published BFE's for Zone A Properties. This means we will not know if the structure can be removed until an Elevation Certificate (EC) is obtained, and an application for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is submitted to FEMA. The LOMA application generally takes 4-6 weeks. Upon ordering an EC and submitting an application for a LOMA, FEMA compares the property-specific elevations supplied by your survey to their internal data in order to produce a BFE.

If the structural elevations are above the BFE, the LOMA application will result in removal. If they are below BFE, the LOMA will result in a non-removal.

Download this helpful document on ‘How To Challenge Your Flood Status In 3 Simple Steps