The Flood Maps

FEMA has released new flood maps, and Paul at Wizbang breaks it down for us. In plain English, it doesn't make much sense. Not only does the new maps fail to take into account improvements made in the past 22 years, but it doesn't take into account the manmade failure of the levee system.

I can understand why FEMA wants people to feel that the levees will hold the next time a major storm hits; it comes down to how many people and how much money should be expended to bring homes up to a certain BFE (base flood elevation). But the new maps and rules provide for some perverse outcomes.

Slab homes (those homes built on slab foundations) may become a thing of the past. Another $2.6 billion will be spent on levee protection. None of the rules changes will take effect until local jurisdictions enact enabling legislation. But this part is confusing:

A. It's good news for anyone who owns a raised home that is both above the base flood elevation and 3 feet or more above the grade, or ground around it, because such a home already meets the new elevation standard. Federal officials did not make any changes to the base flood elevations for the entire New Orleans area inside the levee system, a pleasant surprise to homeowners who feared Katrina might cause dramatic increases. Not changing the base flood elevation signals recognition by federal officials that the devastating flood was a result of problems with the design of the levee system, particularly flood walls. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the National Flood Insurance Program, did send a message with its proposed "3 feet above grade" requirement. The rule essentially means that FEMA is trying to phase out slab homes built at street level, because they typically are the most flood-prone.

If there was a problem with the levees, would it make sense to actually require construction well above the existing BFE, instead of hoping that the money thrown at fixing the levees will actually strengthen them to the levels necessary?