2014 Adopted FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the Town of Yarmouth

Updated October 19, 2015

The Town of Yarmouth has officially adopted the 2014 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for the Town of Yarmouth, which became effective on July 16, 2014. The FIRM maps show areas in town known as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs). These are areas where the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP's) floodplain management regulations must be enforced and where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies for those with federally backed bank mortgages. Those within a SFHA who do not have a mortgage may not be required to obtain flood insurance, but they are still at risk of flooding and would benefit from flood insurance. Please note that properties outside these designated SFHAs may also be at risk of flooding and may also benefit from flood insurance. Questions about flood insurance should be directed to your insurance agent.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE NEWLY MAPPED INTO A SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA.
If the July 16, 2014 FIRM maps have your property being mapped into a Special Flood Hazard Area for the first time, you may qualify for a Preferred Risk Policy and may be eligible to garner benefits associated with the Preferred Risk Policy Eligibility Extension. Obtaining a Preferred Risk Policy now (even if you don’t have a mortgage) may allow for you to retain this lower rate flood insurance policy for longer and may allow for the transfer of this policy to a future owner, making your property more marketable. Please ask your insurance agent about whether your property would qualify for a Preferred Risk Policy.

In addition, if any portion of your property is in a SFHA, your mortgage holder may have sent you a letter saying that you need flood insurance. However, if based on your review of the FIRM Map, you believe your house and everything attached to it (garage, deck, etc) is outside the SFHA, you may request a Flood Hazard Determination Review from FEMA. The process is outlined at the following website and must be submitted within 45 days following the date the lender notified the borrower that the property is in an SFHA. Yarmouth’s FIRM Community Number is 250015.

Map Reviewing Locations: The easiest way to view the FIRM maps is on the updated FEMA website at https://msc.fema.gov/portal. From this website, you can type in your full address. Using the buttons on the left choose "INTERACTIVE MAP". This will show the FEMA FIRM map for your property in a much more legible format with aerial imagery. You can change the background by clicking the “BASEMAP” icon in the upper left hand corner and you can also print out the map. You can type in your address again in the upper right hand corner to Zoom into your property.

Copies of the FIRM maps may also be viewed at the links below. To identify your property’s flood zone, click on the Town of Yarmouth Index to locate your panel number and then click on the appropriate FEMA Map number below. In addition to the FEMA Maps, the Town of Yarmouth created an easier to read color-coded alternative map showing the SFHAs with approximate property lines and structure locations. Click on the Entire Town GIS Map link listed below. A hard copy of the Town GIS Map is available in the Engineering Department and hard copies of the FIRM Maps are available for viewing in the Building Department, both located on the lower level of Town Hall at 1146 Route 28, South Yarmouth.

Letters of Map Change: In situations where a property owner thinks their property was inadvertently mapped in a SFHA, FEMA provides a process for the public to request a change in the flood zone designation for the property. This request is known as a Letter of Map Change (LOMC). Additional information can be obtained at http://www.fema.gov/letter-map-amendment-letter-map-revision-based-fill-process. This process requires an Elevation Certificate to identify site specific information about your property. An Elevation Certificate may also be beneficial in determining your flood insurance rate.

Flood Insurance Relief: President Obama signed into law the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability (HFIA) Act on March 21, 2014. This law amends the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and delays or softens the implementation of some of the flood insurance rate hikes required by Biggert Waters. Although Biggert Waters was originally put into place to improve the financial stability of the National Flood Insurance Program, which was running in a deficit after multiple major storm events, it had the unintended financial consequence of excessively high flood insurance rates for many properties. The Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act provides for relief for some properties as well as retaining “grandfathering” benefits. Information on the implementation of the HFIA can be found at
http://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program/flood-insurance-reform .

YARMOUTH GIS MAP BASED ON NEW FIRM MAPS
Entire Town GIS Map

FEMA MAPS EFFECTIVE JULY 16, 2014
Town of Yarmouth Index
0557J
0559J
0567J
0569J
0576J
0577J
0578J
0579J
0583J
0586J
0587J
0588J
0589J
0591J
0782J

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
July 23, 2014 Letter to Building Department
Implementation of Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability (HFIA) Act
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability (HFIA) Act Fact Sheet
Board of Selectmen Letters to Legislators - Oct, 9, 2013
Factors Impacting Flood Insurance Rates

CORRESPONDENCE FROM FEMA
Letter from FEMA dated July 16, 2014
Letter from FEMA dated Jan 16, 2014
Letter from FEMA dated Dec 2, 2013
Letters (3) from FEMA dated Oct 28, 2013
Letter from FEMA dated July 3, 2013
Letter from FEMA dated May 3, 2013
Letter from FEMA dated Feb 8, 2013
Letter from FEMA dated Jan 31, 2012
Letter from FEMA dated July 11, 2011
Letter from FEMA dated June 10, 2011
Letter from FEMA dated May 23, 2011
Letter from FEMA dated March 23, 2011

RELATED LINKS
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/map/firm.shtm

FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas
https://www.fema.gov/glossary/special-flood-hazard-area-sfha

FEMA facts
https://www.fema.gov/about

Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) & Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)
http://www.fema.gov/letter-map-amendment-letter-map-revision-based-fill-process

Protecting Coastal Property from Major Storm Damage
http://buzzardsbay.org/download/dep-2008-bcbro-flyer.pdf

Massachusetts Building Code 780 CMR 120.G – Flood Resistant Construction and Construction in coastal Dunes:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/120gconstructioninfloodzonepdf/download?_ga=2.87066715.252517805.1646664203-1630714325.1635877209

Official NFIP website:
https://www.floodsmart.gov/

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Flood Hazard Management Program (FHMP):
https://www.mass.gov/guides/floodplain-management