Oversight means some Ypsilanti residents are now without flood insurance
Some city of Ypsilanti residents could be without flood insurance this spring.
An oversight on ordinance text led to the city’s suspension from the Federal Emergency Management Association’s flood insurance program.
That means local insurance companies cannot provide new flood insurance to residents or renew the policies of current customers whose insurance has expired.
The City Council will vote on an emergency ordinance at its May 1 meeting. City Planner Teresa Gillotti said Ypsilanti residents likely will be eligible for flood insurance by the middle of May.
Most of Ypsilanti's parks are in the floodplain.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Although many residents hold flood insurance, Gillotti said there are no homes or structures in the flood plain along the Huron River. FEMA’s updated 2012 floodplain maps have the plain mostly in Frog Island, Riverside and Water Works Parks, along with a small portion of the Water Street property.
Residents face a greater danger of their basements flooding because of heavy rains or other causes.
Gillotti said FEMA is updating its flood plain maps for the first time since the 1980s, and the city asked its engineers to approve the new maps. Once the new maps were approved, staff updated its ordinance to reflect the changes.
Council approved the ordinance changes at a March meeting, but one section of the ordinance read “Flood Insurance Study 1980” instead of “Flood Insurance Study 2012”.
May 1 is the soonest council can consider an emergency ordinance because the city has to post public notice and take proper procedures before voting on it.
“We are trying to respond as quickly as possible and are hoping to correct the situation within a matter of weeks,” Gillotti said.
Gillotti said it isn’t known how many people are affected by the suspension from the program, but Maggie Sell, an insurance agent at Freeman Bunting, said it has only affected one customers there so far.
She said the company will not issue new policies or renew those that expire until Ypsilanti’s suspension from the flood insurance program is lifted. But she said there is a 90-day grace period at Freeman Bunting that will allow residents’ insurance to be reinstated if the city’s insurance is reinstated.
She also said there is no way to tell how many people are affected by the lapse.
Comments
Steve Pierce
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 5:18 a.m.
Good News, Ypsilanti residents can once again buy Flood Insurance. Your insurance company may have to update their flood maps from their third party processor. It took over a week for for my carrier to lift the suspension, but this was far faster than what FEMA was estimating and that is good news.
Steve Pierce
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 : 9:20 p.m.
YpsiVeteran, at least I sign my name, you just want to make attack anonymously. I have never said the city should cut staff, I have said perhaps city staff should refrain from taking on new grants and projects until they get the ones they are already working on done. Cheers! - Steve
Steve Pierce
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 11:31 p.m.
Finally, it is very unlikely people will be able to buy Flood insurance again in May. When the City was suspended from the FEMA Flood program, people who had flood insurance whose policies expired after April 4, must re-apply as a new application. According to FEMA, that means a 30-day waiting period once the SNAFU is fixed. So here are the steps. 1. Council approves the amendment on May 1, it then must go up for State of Michigan for review. 2. Then the state, finding no problem, sends it to FEMA for their review. 3. If there are no problem, then FEMA lifts their suspension and publishes the notice. 4. Insurance companies, once notified that FEMA has lifted the suspension, must update their systems to allow you to once again buy insurance. This will not happen in two weeks. It is more likley gong to take 6 to 10 weeks. Even if it is just two week s like the city says, once you are able to buy insuance, you MUST wait 30-days before your new policy takes effect. At the very earliest, it will be mid-June and more likely July or August before you can get Flood Insurance coverage in the City of Ypsilanti. This assumes there are no further problems with the City's application. - Steve
YpsiVeteran
Sun, Apr 29, 2012 : 3:36 a.m.
Obviously the answer is to lay off more city staff, as you have repeatedly recommended. They don't have anything important to take care of, right? Lay off everyone, then complain when things don't get done, or get done poorly. Wow.
Steve Pierce
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 11:07 p.m.
Moreover, flood insurance doesn't just protect you if the creek starts rising. If you have any flood, say a water line broke in the street, if the water runs across the surface, across your yard, and floods you basement, your homeowners insurance will not coverage the damage. All those homes damaged by flooding when the storm drains backed up after the tornado and storms ripped through the area, they are learning their home owners insurance doesn't cover the flood damage. FEMA Flood insurance sold through your agent or insurance company isn't very expensive, $130 to $400 a year for most homeowners. But the average flood claim is is $36,000. As of right now, you can buy Flood Insurance in Ann Arbor and Ypsi Township, you can't buy it the City of Ypsilanti.
Steve Pierce
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 10:47 p.m.
This story has so many problems, I don't even know where to start. The insurance agent interviewed for this story is mistaken. There is no 90-day grace period from FEMA. Suspended from the Flood program is suspended and it is immediate. The agent is confusing thw 30-day renewal grace period for flood insurance but there is no grace period if your Community has been suspended from the Flood Program by FEMA. THIS WAS NOT AN OVERSIGHT, IT WAS A BLUNDER FEMA says the City had two years to get their updated application completed. FEMA said that warning letters were sent to the City in December 2011 and again in February 2012. A final notice of suspension was sent in March. At the end of March that the City tried to rush their applciation through, scrambling to get the maps and ordinances updated, The City goofed it up, the application was rejected by FEMA and FEMA suspended the City on April 4, 2012. This doesn't just affect one or two residents. FEMA says it could be hundreds in Ypsilanti who no longer have insurance. Worse, becasue Ypsilanti was suspened from the FEMA program on April 4, 2012 the entire City of Ypsilanti is no longer eligible for any federal funds if there is a large flood disaster. So this blunder has put the entire community at risk and FEMA won't help as long as Ypsi is suspended.
Suzanne
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 7:52 p.m.
What is this? Oops! Oh well, I live on high ground...lets pay attention people!
Ron Granger
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 1:47 p.m.
This is an ordinance. The details are critical, so they should be reviewed by multiple staff members. A "review" isn't merely putting your initials on it, it is actually reviewing it. This is tedious work, but it is critical. You can't expect a "temp" to do it. Did anyone on the council actually read it before voting on it? HELLO? How many people reviewed and signed off on the erroneous changes? Or, is there no formal process of review? Surely this isn't the first time. How many other critical documents have been bungled by the city to the detriment of the taxpayers, but they manage to hide it from the public?
The Black Stallion3
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
Vote NO, NO, NO
The Black Stallion3
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 11:44 a.m.
And the city wants us to pay more taxes? They have a hard time reading now, why should we give them more money to waste?
Ignatz
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.
Yes, because less money = less government = no mistakes.
tim
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 11:10 a.m.
Maybe Ypsilanti doesn't owe 30 million for Water St. Maybe it's only 30 thousand, and that amount is a typo, too. Seriously, doesn't Ypsilanti have a City Attorney to go over this kind of stuff?
dading dont delete me bro
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 10:29 a.m.
"...has only affected one customers there so far." ones is singular? i'lls look forward to reading the lawsuits toward the city if we's get flooding rain whille waiting map approval.