His issue is the same as Tenzer’s. “Most people tell me they would get flood insurance anyway,” he said. “They don’t like being mandated by the government.”

Fighting the fight together

Crupi said she believes the new maps were created simply to placate residents, including herself. “It almost looks like they took me out just to shut me up,” she said. “But I have a commitment to all of the homeowners, not just a few.”

She said it is unlikely that FEMA officials ever expected a community to rebel against the maps the way Valley Stream did. Local residents, she explained, are probably now some of the most informed citizens in the country regarding flood maps.

Tenzer said the situation was the first time he can remember that residents from the village and South Valley Stream got together to fight a common cause.

He said if the residents didn’t join forces to draw the attention of officials from all levels of government, the 2009 maps likely wouldn’t be set to change. “Never in a million years would this have happened unless everybody got involved,” he said. “We were persistent. We got it done.”