Several members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held a public meeting at Malibu City Hall last week to discuss their preliminary remapping of the city’s coastal flood hazard zones. According to the city website, “These maps represent an important step toward increasing public safety by better equipping residents and property owners to make decisions about protecting themselves and their properties.”
Ed Curtis, Regional Engineer for FEMA, emphasized that the remapping project covers coastal houses only.
“It’s for marine flooding in the first row of homes along the coast. We have not changed anything related to streams,” he said, adding that the new maps “reflect the current level of flood hazard and current conditions,” and that flood insurance is “based on current risks, not what will happen in the future”—clearly a reference to global warming and sea level rise, without actually using the words.
He also made an apology of sorts: “I hope we don’t wait another 20 to 30 years to do the next update. Ideally, these maps should be updated every five to 10 years.”
Most of the affected coastal property owners at the meeting seemed primarily concerned about reducing the cost of their flood insurance premiums. Federally mandated flood insurance is expensive, and the new maps could make it even more expensive for some homeowners. Most of those in attendance seemed most interested in how they could get their FEMA flood property assessment changed to a lower-risk category, with the goal of spending less money.
Residents asked questions about how various home designs would affect their insurance rates, especially whether having a house built or raised up on caissons, piles, pilings or pylons would lower the rates. They were told, “If your basement doesn’t touch the ground, if it’s on caissons, your insurance is [cheaper] than if it isn’t … But just because a building is elevated doesn’t mean it’s safe from waves and flooding.” In other words, having a raised home is no guarantee of exemption from flood insurance requirements.
For a homeowner to prove that their house should be removed from flood zone designation altogether, FEMA told them they would need to have a certified surveyor come out, look at the structure’s elevations and issue an elevation certificate.
“You have to demonstrate that the house’s ground elevation is higher than the flood plain to avoid mandatory insurance,” Curtis explained.
City Councilmember Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner wanted to know why damaged seawalls aren’t covered by FEMA flood insurance, since seawalls protect the property.
“Stuff outside the footprint of the building isn’t covered,” FEMA responded. “But following new legislation passed by congress in 2014, they are studying how to cover personal mitigation measures, but it’s something down the road.”
The City of Malibu maintains on its website that, “With these [revised] maps, residents and businesses will have up-to-date, reliable, internet-accessible information about their flood risk on a property-by-property basis. Community planners, engineers, builders, and others will be better able to make important determinations about where and how new structures and developments are built.”
The updated flood maps are considered preliminary until formally adopted in early 2018. The public appeal period began Aug. 9 and runs until Nov. 6. During that time, affected residents can submit appeals and protest flood maps they believe are in error by submitting technical data that contradicts FEMA’s findings to Malibu’s Floodplain Administrator.
Complaints arose at the Monday, Aug. 28, Malibu City Council meeting, where residents—many of them experts—spoke out that the preliminary maps were inaccurate. Wagner shared frustrations, saying it was “a disappointment” to see FEMA relying on old maps and sharing information he did not think was accurate.
“We had professionals here telling us things that [I], as just a regular old guy on the street, knew better,” Wagner said at the council meeting.
There were also complaints from the audience and city council members that the meeting was not recorded or televised.
At the end of the appeal period, the city will evaluate the appeals and submit findings to FEMA. Once FEMA reviews all appeals and protests, and incorporates any needed map changes, a Letter of Final Determination will be issued. Six months later, the maps will be adopted and become effective, as will any new flood insurance requirements. However, starting immediately, the city intends to use these flood hazard maps to help determine requirements for construction and development.
The revised maps were based on FEMA engineering studies that analyzed tide, wave surge, wave run-up and overtopping. The studies resulted in the establishment of new base flood elevations and flood zones. The revised maps removed some properties from the current floodplain map, and added other properties for the first time.
Additional information is available at malibucity.org/floodplain or contact Rob DuBoux, assistant public works director, at RDuBoux@malibucity.org.
Julie Ellerton contributed to this report.
