Flood map relief still an issue in Valley Stream

Local officials are trying to resolve the flood map situation in Valley Stream, they stressed at a town hall-style meeting last Thursday night at Village Hall. More than 50 residents came heard from Assemblyman Brian Curran, who hosted the meeting, along with Mayor Ed Fare, Town Councilman Jim Darcy and representatives of federal officials.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood maps, which went into effect in September 2009, left many Valley Stream residents with four-figure insurance premiums. Much of the Gibson area was included in the high-risk flood zone. Curran told residents that anyone who was added to the high-risk zone in 2009 is eligible for a lower $400 insurance premium when they renew their policy this year and next.

But Curran added that officials are trying to do more for residents to give them long-term relief from flood insurance premiums. A bill in the House of Representatives, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011, would make it possible for local governments to seek temporary relief from the flood maps. This would establish criteria for a municipality to apply for a suspension of the maps.

If the maps were to be suspended in a particular community, homeowners with mortgages would no longer be mandated to buy insurance. U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) included an amendment that would phase in insurance rates over five years. “It won’t be $400,” Curran said, “but it won’t go up to $2,500, either.”

He said that his is optimistic that the bill would pass the House, but he explained that a companion bill would have to pass in the Senate before it would go to the president for approval.

Marisa Kaufman, a spokeswoman for Sen. Charles Schumer, noted that he is still working on the flood map issue and plans to introduce legislation in the Senate. Kaufman said that the legislation would likely include a five-year moratorium on the new maps, which would give FEMA time to determine the accuracy of the 2009 flood zones.

Kaufman said that Schumer has also called for an investigation into the science used to create Nassau County’s maps. Suffolk County data was used to create them, she said, and Schumer is looking to have them invalidated.

“This bill is very important, and we have to keep pressing it,” Curran said.

Carol Crupi, who has led the local fight against the flood maps, said that property values have taken a hit in the new high-risk flood zone because potential buyers are wary of having to pay the insurance premiums. Crupi said that the village should reduce assessments to accurately reflect the realistic values of those homes. “I’m asking that the flood maps be part of consideration in any re-assessment,” she said.

Fare said that officials are exploring the possibility of re-assessing all of the homes in Valley Stream. He also said that the village is taking steps to raise its community rating for flood prevention and preparedness, which would lower insurance rates for homeowners.

Frank Roca, the village’s emergency management coordinator, said such plans include an all-call system to notify residents of a impending storm, and ensuring that the Department of Public Works keeps storm drains clear. “There are a lot of things the village is doing,” he said.

Curran stressed that local officials can only do so much. He noted that the flood maps are a federal problem, and true relief can only come from the federal government. He urged residents to continue pushing their representatives to pass legislation, but also reminded them to take advantage of some of the temporary relief measures that have already been put in place.

“The current reality is the maps are here; we have to deal with this,” Curran said. “The rates are here; we have to deal with this. But you shouldn’t pay a dime more than you have to.”

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