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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFDP202100005 Letter of Map Revision 2021-12-02Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C. 20472 December 02, 2021 THE HONORABLE NED GALLAWAY CHAIR, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ALBEMARLE COUNTY 401 MCINTIRE ROAD CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA22902 DEAR MR. GALLAWAY: CASE NO.: 21-03-1595A COMMUNITY: ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA (UNINCORPORATED AREAS) COMMUNITY NO.: 510006 This is in reference to a request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determine if the property described in the enclosed document is located within an identified Special Flood Hazard Area, the area that would be inundated by the flood having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (base flood), on the effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map. Using the information submitted and the effective NFIP map, our determination is shown on the attached Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) Floodway Determination Document. This determination document provides additional information regarding the effective NFIP map, the legal description of the property and our determination. Additional documents are enclosed which provide information regarding the subject property and LOMRs. Please see the List of Enclosures below to determine which documents are enclosed. Other attachments specific to this request may be included as referenced in the Determination/Comment document. If you have any questions about this letter or any of the enclosures, please contact the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) toll free at (877) 336-2627 (877-FEMA MAP) or by letter addressed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, LOMC Clearinghouse, 3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22304-6426. Sincerely, Patrick "Rick" F. Sacbibit, P.E., Branch Chief Engineering Services Branch Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration LIST OF ENCLOSURES: LOMR-FW DETERMINATION DOCUMENT (REMOVAL) cc: State/Commonwealth NFIP Coordinator Community Map Repository Region Mr. Scott Collins 04,PA�\db 7 ° Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C. 20472 ND SP ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING LETTERS OF MAP AMENDMENT When making determinations on requests for Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs), the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bases its determination on the flood hazard information available at the time of the determination. Requesters should be aware that flood conditions may change or new information may be generated that would supersede FEMA's determination. In such cases, the community will be informed by letter. Requesters also should be aware that removal of a property (parcel of land or structure) from the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) means FEMA has determined the property is not subject to inundation by the flood having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (base flood). This does not mean the property is not subject to other flood hazards. The property could be inundated by a flood with a magnitude greater than the base flood or by localized flooding not shown on the effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map. The effect of a LOMA is it removes the Federal requirement for the lender to require flood insurance coverage for the property described. The LOMA is not a waiver of the condition that the property owner maintain flood insurance coverage for the property. Only the lender can waive the flood insurance purchase requirement because the lender imposed the requirement. The property owner must request and receive a written waiver from the lender before canceling the policy. The lender may determine, on its own as a business decision, that it wishes to continue the flood insurance requirement to protect its financial risk on the loan. The LOMA provides FEMA's comment on the mandatory flood insurance requirements of the NFIP as they apply to a particular property. A LOMA is not a building permit, nor should it be construed as such. Any development, new construction, or substantial improvement of a property impacted by a LOMA must comply with all applicable State and local criteria and other Federal criteria. If a lender releases a property owner from the flood insurance requirement, and the property owner decides to cancel the policy and seek a refund, the NEW will refund the premium paid for the current policy year, provided that no claim is pending or has been paid on the policy during the current policy year. The property owner must provide a written waiver of the insurance requirement from the lender to the property insurance agent or company servicing his or her policy. The agent or company will then process the refund request. Even though structures are not located in an SFHA, as mentioned above, they could be flooded by a flooding event with a greater magnitude than the base flood. In fact, more than 25 percent of all claims paid by the NFIP are for policies for structures located outside the SFHA in Zones B, C, X (shaded), or X (unshaded). More than one-fourth of all policies purchased under the NFIP protect structures located in these zones. The risk to structures located outside SFIlAs is just not as great as the risk to structures located in SFHAs. Finally, approximately 90 percent of all federally declared disasters are caused by flooding, and homeowners insurance does not provide financial protection from this flooding. Therefore, FEMA encourages the widest possible coverage under the NFIP. LOMAENC-1 (LOMA Removal) LOMAs are based on minimum criteria established by the NFIP. State, county, and community officials, based on knowledge of local conditions and in the interest of safety, may set higher standards for construction in the SFIIA. If a State, county, or community has adopted more restrictive and comprehensive floodplain management criteria, these criteria take precedence over the minimum Federal criteria. In accordance with regulations adopted by the community when it made application to join the NFIP, letters issued to amend an NFIP map must be attached to the community's official record copy of the map. That map is available for public inspection at the community's official map repository. Therefore, FEMA sends copies of all such letters to the affected community's official map repository. When a restudy is undertaken, or when a sufficient number of revisions or amendments occur on particular map panels, FEMA initiates the printing and distribution process for the affected panels. FEMA notifies community officials in writing when affected map panels are being physically revised and distributed. In such cases, FEMA attempts to reflect the results of the LOMA on the new map panel. If the results of particular LOMAs cannot be reflected on the new map panel because of scale limitations, FEMA notifies the community in writing and revalidates the LOMAs in that letter. LOMAs revalidated in this way usually will become effective 1 day after the effective date of the revised map.