Flood maps cost HSB residents

November 09, 2012, 12:01 am by Alexandria Randolph

The new FEMA flood plain maps released in May might raise flood insurance rates for many citizens in Llano and Burnet counties.

The cities of Horseshoe Bay and Burnet are communities that are heavily affected by the shifting flood plains.

Eric Winter, Development Services Manager and Flood Plain Manager for Horseshoe Bay said that the last time the maps were updated was in 1991.

"It’s usually based on a hydrological engineering data. This year FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) didn’t have enough funding to do that,” he said. "The new maps have affected a lot of lots in Horseshoe Bay, which are now in the flood plain but previously weren’t.”

Winter said that for those who live on properties affected by the changes, flood insurance rates could increase by a value of $200 to $3,000 a year.

"A lot of people have come in (to the office) to check and see if they are in the new flood plain — many have found out that they are,” he said. "

Many homes along Slick Rock Creek are now included on the 100-year-flood plain by the new FEMA flood insurance rates maps. Many homes on the shores of Lake LBJ are now included on the 500-year-flood plain, Winter said. The Cape north of Marina Village in Horseshoe Bay is now entirely included in the flood plain, he said.

Winter said that if a homeowner discovers they are now on a flood plain of increased rating, they have two options. The first option is to speak to an insurance provider about a preferred risk policy, which allows flood insurance rates to remain the same for two years. The second option is to hire an engineer to do a hydrological study to show what the base flood elevations are of the nearby water body in relation to the property.

For more on this story, see Friday's Highlander.