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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) http://www.fema.gov/

FEMA/CAMA Administrator Dare County Satellite Office 2601 N. Croatan Highway P.O. Drawer 1000, Manteo, NC Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 Phone: 252-475-5874 Fax: 252-449-020

In addition to the various other local and state regulatory programs applicable in Dare County, there are federal guidelines under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which also apply in Dare County. These federal rules affect construction in areas where the hazard of flooding from the Atlantic Ocean or estuarine waters exists. The majority of construction in Dare County is impacted by these FEMA rules. The FEMA rules are designed to mitigate the hazards posed by flooding from the ocean or sounds.

Flood Insurance

Dare County participates in the National Flood Insurance program (NFIP). The NFIP makes federally backed flood insurance available for all buildings, whether they are in a floodplain or not. Flood insurance covers direct losses caused by surface flooding, including river flooding, a lake or ocean storm, and local drainage problems.

The NFIP insures buildings, including mobile homes, with two types of coverage: structural and contents. Structural coverage is for the walls, floors, insulation, furnace, and other items permanently attached to the structure. Contents coverage may be purchased separately provided the contents are in an insurable building.

Mandatory Purchase Requirement: The mandatory purchase requirement applies to all forms of federal or federally related financial assistance for buildings located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The requirements affect loans and grants for the purchase, construction, repair, or improvement of any publicly or privately owned building in the SFHA, including machinery, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings contained in such buildings.

Financial assistance programs affected include loans and grants from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Small Business Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The requirement also applies to secured mortgage loans from financial institutions, such as commercial lenders, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and credit unions that are regulated, supervised, or insured by Federal agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision. It also applies to all mortgage loans purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in the secondary mortgage market.

How It Works: Before a person can receive a loan or other financial assistance from one of the affected agencies or lenders, there must be a check to see if the building is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SFHA is the base (100-year) floodplain mapped on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). It is shown as one or more zones that begins with the letter "A" or "V".

Copies of flood maps are available for review in the Dare County Satellite office in Kill Devil Hills by contacting Mr. Jim Meads at 252-475-5871. Many lenders and insurance agents also have copies. It is the agency’s or the lender’s responsibility to check the FIRM maps to determine if the building is in a SFHA, although Mr. Meads provides assistance in making FIRM determinations.

If the building is in a SFHA, the agency or lender is required by law to have the recipient purchase a flood insurance policy on the building. The requirement is for structural coverage equal to the amount of the loan (or other financial assistance) or the maximum amount available, whichever is less. The maximum amount available for a single-family house is $250,000.

The mandatory purchase requirement does not affect loans for financial assistance for items that are not covered by a flood insurance policy, such as vehicles, business expenses, landscaping and vacant lots. It does not affect loans for buildings that are not in the SFHA, although a portion of the lot may be floodprone.

Base Flood Elevations

The most effective construction technique used to mitigate the flood hazards of Dare County is the elevation of structures located within designated floodplains or flood hazard areas. These designated areas are mapped on Flood Insurance Rate Maps or FIRM maps. Base flood elevation (BFE) standards for flood zones are determined using a formula of a site’s proximity to a water body and computer-generated water run-up models. All construction within a designated flood zone must be constructed above the base flood elevation, if applicable. There are various flood zones used throughout Dare County. The highest base flood elevations are located along the immediate oceanfront where the hazard of flooding from hurricanes and other storm events is greatest. Flood hazards also exist along the estuarine shoreline and other low-lying areas of Dare County. There are some areas in Dare County where the natural ground elevation is above the base flood determinations. In unincorporated Dare County, these areas are generally found on the northern end of Roanoke Island, in some portions of Duck and Colington, and the Buxton Woods maritime forest on Hatteras Island. The elevation of structures in flood hazard areas is the most effective flood mitigation construction technique.

CRS Program

For several years, Dare County has participated in the Community Rating System (CRS) program sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This program credits flood hazard mitigation activities undertaken by participating communities by offering reductions in flood insurance rate premiums. Such mitigation activities available for credit include locally adopted flood ordinances, public information campaigns, disclosure requirements for real estate transactions in flood hazard areas, etc. Currently, unincorporated Dare County qualifies for a 10% reduction in flood insurance rates for our CRS activities and participation.