Re: OT: I received a virus with a fake greeting card probably connected with this group

On Nov 20, 5:25 pm, Jangchub <animau...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

FEMA is the only place you can buy flood insurance, far as I know.
Since you pay for it, I don't know that they  have much to say about
where you rebuild.  I agree with you, but still FEMA doesn't just hand
out checks.  It's flood insurance.  In Texas there is a 100 year
flood, not 500.  How could anyone know what happened here 500 years
ago?  I don't think written history of such things exists in the
United States.  Not for floods, anyway.  I could be wrong.
Victoria

Yup, you're wrong! :):):)

My parents lived in an area behind a 54' dike. It had been considered
a "safe" area since the early '50s when the dike was built, so flood
insurance was supposedly unnecessary (and not available back then,
anyway). In 1997 the water got to 57', the highest *ever*. So, yes,
FEMA handed those people checks (this was back when FEMA was being run
properly, not the same people in charge when Katrina hit NO).

Elizabeth wrote:
Geological evidence would tell what the 500 year flood plain is.

to which you responded:
Okay, that sounds reasonable. However, the flood plain is not based
on 500 years. It's based on 100 years.

We also have a 100 year flood plain area. People are not allowed to
build permanent *residential* structures in this area. Period. If
they insist on building within this area, they are not eligible for
flood insurance so they'll get *no* assistance if they get flooded
out.

The insurance companies can set whatever parameters they feel like to
get their money. Even the federal ones. In our case, they added a
500 year flood plain.
The 500 year flood plain is much larger. People who don't even live
near the river are now forced to buy flood insurance when they never
needed to before because they are now within the 500 yr. one.

Btw, the city turned the area where my parents used to live into a
"greenway", or park area.

Joan
.