FEMA issue, basement below BFE situation 1

[Hoagie]

Greetings,

The background info..

I have been asked by a client-friend for help. He wants to reduce or eliminate his flood insurance premium.

He has a raised-ranch type home on a full basement. He has utilities (MEP) in the basement which fall below the Base Flood Elev. His home was built prior to the adoption of FIRM. His property falls within a (A-6) flood zone. His first floor elev is above the BFE, his basement falls below the BFE. The community he lives in does NOT have any design standards for flood proofing, nor does the community have a FEMA exception for residential basements. I've reviewed the FEMA instructions for LOMR Elev Certification. I also noticed that FEMA has a form for residential basement flood proofing, however, the city isn't nodding at this method. The city is telling me to raise the house (including the foundation)1-ft above the BFE. Honestly, I think this is a 'juvenile' solution.

What other options are there?

 

[gbam]

Levees?

 

[cvg]

your friend should be "grandfathered". see attached document

Saving on Flood Insurance: Information about the NFIP's Grandfathering Rule. When flood maps change, structures moving into high-risk zones may be eligible to retain the rate for the low- or moderate-risk zone they were originally mapped into, under certain circumstances, through a process known as grandfathering. This is one of several cost-saving options available through the National Flood Insurance Program.

 

[NinetyWt]

Did your friend have flood insurance before the new FIRM became effective? Read this carefully (from the document cvg linked to):

If a policy is obtained before a new map becomes effective, policyholders can retain the rate associated with the
previous map’s flood zone and BFE, as long as continuous coverage has been maintained

Two conditions have to be satisfied. One is that coverage was in effect before the new map; the other is that coverage has been continuous.