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89 <br /> <br />In 1999, the City appealed the flood zone boundaries established by FEMA, believing that <br />the number of flood prone properties had been overestimated. Revised maps became <br />effective in February 2000. Although the revised maps show fewer properties in the flood <br />zone than the 1999 maps did, the zones may still be overstated. According to FEMA, there <br />are still 1,870 homes in the Manor, Floresta and Springlake neighborhoods within the <br />100-year floodplain. Flood insurance costs for these residents’ amounts to over one <br />million dollars a year. The City is presently working with impacted homeowners to verify <br />the elevations of their homes, possibly enabling some residents to have their properties <br />removed from the floodplain boundary. Additional appeals of the boundaries have been <br />filed. <br /> <br />The principal consequence of a property’s designation within the 100-year flood zone is <br />that flood insurance is required for federally insured mortgage loans. Insurance also may <br />be required by other mortgage lenders. Moreover, the City’s Floodplain Management <br />Ordinance requires that new construction, additions and major home improvement <br />projects are raised at least one foot above the base flood elevation — this can be a <br />significant expense for homeowners making alterations to existing structures. <br />While the City works with FEMA to improve the accuracy of the flood zone maps, it is also <br />working with the ACFCWCD to increase the carrying capacity of the channels. Measures <br />being pursued include redesign of the channels, replacing undersized culverts, and <br />keeping the channels well-maintained and free of debris. Steps should be taken to identify <br />additional funding sources and expedite the reconstruction of the channels. The most <br />current flood maps have been added to the Appendix of this document as Appendix items <br />9.6. <br />128