FEMA’s preliminary flood plain map, released June 9, shows impact on about 3,200 properties in Minot and another 800 properties in Minot’s two-mile extra-territorial area. A comment period on the map is open and will be followed later this year by a 90-day appeal period for any scientific challenges. Even once the map is finalized, jurisdictions have six months get their ordinances in place, so implementation of the map is expected to be at least 18 months away.

Staff from the State Engineer’s office, the Hazard Mitigation Program and Houston Engineering joined FEMA representatives to lay the groundwork with officials before beginning a series of meetings to address individual property owner’s questions about the new map.

The first community meeting was held in Sawyer Monday. It will be followed by a meeting in Burlington tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the school and in Minot Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Minot Municipal Auditorium. These open houses offer residents a chance to meet with representatives one-on-one to discuss the new maps and determine how their properties and insurance rates will be affected. To speed up their time at the meetings, residents are encouraged to print out their mapped locations from the flood plain map on the city website at minotnd.org.

The Souris River valley in Ward County, from Burlington to Sawyer, has been in a preferred flood risk zone, with protection to a 100-year event of 5,000 cubic feet of river flow. The preliminary map increases the 100-year event to 10,000 cfs, placing many homes in a high-risk flood zone and some in a floodway where new construction will be restricted.

Jill Schramm/MDN Bob Schempp, left, visits with Gregg Thielman, project manger with Houston Engineering, who discussed the data behind the new flood maps at a meeting with local officials Monday.

The biggest concern of residents is how much their premiums might go up with a change in flood risk. FEMA representatives urge residents to get flood insurance before the map takes effect to take advantage of grandfathering.

“The main thing you need to take away from it is they are grandfathering in your zone – not the rate but your zone,” said FEMA National Flood Insurance Program specialist Barbara Fitzpatrick.

Diana Herrera, FEMA regional insurance specialist, said a lapse in coverage is the obstacle people will want to avoid.

“If there’s a lapse in coverage, all these low-cost rating options go away,” Herrera said. “Continuous coverage is very, very, very important.”

Grandfathering will not prevent rates from rising but it will significantly stem the rise. Herrera said people should come to the flood map meetings, get the information and visit with their insurance agents to obtain the lowest rates for their situations.

Currently in Ward County, 2,707 policies on structures exist, of which 2,379 policies are in Minot.

“People who don’t get their insurance now and buy it later, they will be on the newly mapped rate,” Fitzpatrick said. This is be a much more expensive rate. How expensive depends on a number of factors, making the answer different for each piece of property.

Loss history also plays into the pricing, which would be an issue for someone who flooded in 2009 and again in 2011, for instance. Residents who received flood assistance in 2011 would not be affected as long as they do not flood again within 10 years, or before 2021.

Depending on a property owner’s situation, obtaining an elevation certificate is another way to potentially curb premiums. Property owners would need to hire a land surveyor, engineer or architect to obtain elevation certificates if not previously obtained or on record with the city.

Ward County is considering a request to fund a project that would secure the necessary elevation certificates for property owners. Rep. Scott Louser proposed the project and pushed through legislation providing potential state matching dollars to lower the local cost.

Another way to reduce premiums is through city or county participation in the Community Ratings System. By going above the minimal standards set by FEMA for reducing flood risk, communities can obtain discounts on premiums paid by residents. Rural Ward County residents currently have a 15 percent discount and Minot residents a 10 percent discount. Other Ward County entities participating in the system are Burlington, Burlington Township, Carpio, Donnybrook and Sawyer.

Fitzpatrick said everyone should consider flood insurance. A homeowner in a high-risk zone stands a 26 percent change of flooding during a 30-year mortgage, which is a greater risk than a potential fire, she said.

Even residents who live outside the high-risk area should consider insurance, she added. Twenty percent of all claims through flood insurance come from outside a high-risk zone.