Dave Zweifel's Plain Talk: Flood plain label not beloved, but needed

Dave Zweifel  —  6/22/2008 10:35 am

The catastrophic flooding in our area the past couple of weeks has been sad enough, but sadder yet is that many of the property owners didn't have flood insurance because their municipalities decided not to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood insurance program.

Not only are these folks left without flood insurance, but they aren't eligible for federal assistance if their areas are declared disasters by FEMA.

Let's hope some lessons have been learned.

A surprising number of local governments -- Lake Delton and the village of La Valle are two examples -- decided not to accept FEMA's flood plain designations a few years ago. If the municipality doesn't agree, that's fine, but the residents are then ineligible not only to buy flood insurance, but to receive aid in the event of a disaster like they've just experienced.

Why would a local government opt out?

There are many reasons, but they usually boil down to that never-ending social and political battle we know as development. Once the municipality agrees with FEMA's definition of a flood plain, new building within that plain is subject to numerous restrictions. Not only do the buildings have to be constructed to withstand floods, but their location in relation to bodies of water faces restrictions and, in some instances, building can't happen at all.

Communities and, particularly, the developers don't like that. Not only do the flood plain rules limit structures like resorts and condos on valued lakefront and riverfront property, but they can put a crimp into a municipality's grand design to grow and add more tax base.

Unfortunately, as many have discovered already this year, the profits and tax bases can quickly be wiped out. That possibility, of course, is why the flood plains are designated. The feds are willing to provide insurance, but they don't want to foolishly insure structures in harm's way of high and ravaging water.

There is one glimmer of hope for some of the uninsured residents. If their municipalities do accept their flood plain designations within six months, they will retroactively become eligible for assistance if their areas have been designated federal disasters.

Hopefully, though, other local leaders will reconsider their opposition to being labeled as flood plains. If they don't, they'll continue to play Russian roulette with their citizens.

Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times.

Dave Zweifel  —  6/22/2008 10:35 am