As a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, city officials work with FEMA to help make periodic updates to the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), which depicts special flood hazard areas and other flood-related data in the city. Homes and businesses in high-risk flood areas are generally required to carry flood insurance as a condition of their mortgage, as flood damage is not covered under most homeowners policies. When flood maps are updated, property owners may find no change in their flood risk compared to previous maps, or they may see that it is now higher or lower than before. These changes could have an impact on the requirement for and cost of flood insurance on a property.
The preliminary flood map changes may be viewed online at msc.fema.gov/fmcv
When preliminary flood maps are issued, individuals have a 90-day statutory period to file an appeal to FEMA through their local community if they disagree with the new flood risk identified for a property. Appeals must be supported by an analysis or scientific evidence showing that the information on the preliminary map is scientifically or technically incorrect. The preliminary maps for Bristol were issued on May 10, but thus far, no requests for appeal have been received by the city.
Remember that floods can happen anywhere, regardless of whether a property appears on the map. For additional information regarding flood risks and insurance, visit floodsmart.gov.
