Check with FEMA's flood maps to determine if your neighborhood sits in a flood zone check out.

The City of Tampa and Hillsborough County both have copies of the latest flood maps for our area. Communities use the maps to set minimum building requirements for coastal areas and floodplains lenders use them to determine flood insurance requirements. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) illustrate flood hazards and are used for assessing a property’s flood risk as well as determining flood insurance and building requirements. According to FEMA, one inch of water in your home typically equals $25,000 in damages. Flood maps, known officially as Flood Insurance Rate Maps, show areas of high- and moderate- to low-flood risk. Remember property insurance does not cover anything flood-related. Next, get quotes from both the NFIP Direct handled by the federal government and some of the dozens of private companies who sell these policies. “If the certificate has the house above the base flood elevation, then your rate is typically quite low in the neighborhood of $500 to $600,” said Patrick.

There are steps you can take to save money on flood coverage.įirst, hire a flood surveyor to see if you are eligible for a flood elevation certificate that shows whether your house sits above the base flood line. Where can I find FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) of the County Please visit the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map to view the interactive map. For those with mortgages who don’t act, lenders will add what is known as a forced-placed policy to their mortgage payment. FEMA has released preliminary flood map updates for the coastal areas of Hillsborough County, including Tampa. If owners of those homes and buildings have mortgages, they must have flood coverage in addition to their property insurance policy.įranzese says it will cost him an extra $4,000 a year for flood coverage.ĭaryl Patrick, owner of Tampa Bay Insurance Center, said he's fielded numerous calls from frustrated clients whose homes now sit in a flood zone. In August, when FEMA finalized its latest zone study, 11,901 properties in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties were added to the high-risk list. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) updates the flood maps every five years.

“When we first got here we did not have to have flood insurance,” Franzese said. TAMPA BAY - Two years after Kevin Franzese and his wife purchased their Oldsmar home the neighborhood became part of a flood zone.

Fema flood zone map hillsborough county