[sbeaud]

We bought a house in Newell last year and have a mortgage on it. The lender requires flood insurance since the FEMA maps show a portion of the property in the “Zone A” (High Risk) flood plain (it's next to a preserve area). Of course the developer did not build on a flood plain, they filled in and elevated our area above the flood plain/Zone A. But the FEMA maps are the official document that the lender/insurer recognize and it does not reflect the revised topography. We have heard that the FEMA map will be updated eventually, but we don’t know when (online maps suggest the current one is from 2012). Some questions:

1. Is there a way to have FEMA update the map? There is an “Online Letter of Map Change” on the FEMA site, but there is a charge of $325-$425.

2. Is there an alternative way to have this done at no cost?