[StBernard] FEMA defines substantially damaged

[Westley Annis]

I posted some information like this a few months ago, but perhaps there is
more interest today in what FEMA defines as percent damaged.  The damage
assessment performed by FEMA contractors after the storm was a cursory
ride-by to give FEMA and government an idea of the devestation. Many of us
now know that it had little correlation to how much structural damage a home
had or not. If they saw a carport torn off, they may have rated the house
60% damaged.  Many of us hired professional engineers to walk through an
inspect the home for structural damage and have reports on file with the
parish that say the house is not structurally damaged at all.
 
However, neither of these are FEMA's definition of "substantially damaged"
which is the rule they use to determine who is grandfathered in or not with
regards to being able to get flood insurance and whether or not the house
has to be raised.
 
Below is straight from the FEMA website WITH MY COMMENTS IN CAPS:
 
"Before repair or alteration following a flood or other disaster, the local
floodplain administrator  is required to determine whether damaged
structures must be flood protected to comply with the local floodplain
regulations for "substantially damaged" structures. Under the NFIP,
"substantial damage" means damage of any origin sustained by a structure
whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition
would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before
the damage occurred. (NOTICE IT IS COST TO REPAIR TO BEFORE DAMAGE CONDITION
DIVIDED BY MARKET VALUE BEFORE THE DAMAGE)

 Preliminary damage assessments compiled soon after disasters by county
emergency management staff can be a good starting point for identifying
potentially substantially damaged structures. These assessments are used to
determine county need for state and federal disaster assistance, and can be
a screening tool to separate structures with minor damages from those with
significant structural damage. (THAT'S WHAT THOSE INITIAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS
WERE)

 The next step is to require applications for floodplain development permits
that will verify whether a structure is substantially-damaged. The
floodplain administrator must confirm if a potentially substantially damaged
structure exists by reviewing the property owner's estimate of repair cost
and market value of the building prior to the damage event. The floodplain
administrator is responsible for notifying the property owner of the flood
protection elevation and construction standards contained in the local
floodplain regulations. Structures sustaining "substantial damage" must be
flood protected to at least the 100-year base flood elevation.


Example

 Market value of residential structure:	  $90,000	
 Cost to repair structure to its before damaged condition:	  $52,000

 Ratio of repair cost to market value:	  58%	
 Structure is substantially damaged, Structure must be flood protected!
(MEANS MUST BE RAISED TO A STANDARD OR ELSE IT WON'T GET FLOOD INSURANCE)


The Standards


 The lowest floor of a new or substantially damaged/improved residential
structure in the 100-year floodplain shall have its lowest floor elevated to
or above the base flood (100-year) elevation. "   (EXCEPT NOW THEY ISSUED IN
THIS ADVISORY THIE ADDITIONAL IDEA THAT SAYS "OR ELEVATED THREE FEET ABOVE
THE HIGHEST ADJACENT GROUND ELEVATION, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER")

It is going to take time for St. Bernard Parish govt. to implement this and
all we have at present is an advisory of what FEMA is thinking about making
a rule in the near future. 

So what does it all mean right now to a homeowner? It means some of us can
still get affordable flood insurance, it means some have been below the base
flood elevation for a long time and can't stay in the flood insurance
program, it means that FEMA is counting on all our levees being correctly
designed for the Cat. 3 storm in the near future which is why they didn't
say they are thinking about making us build up 25 feet, it means we all
really need to have the max. flood insurance we can afford as soon as the
house is repaired, it means that every neighborhood has different
circumstances so give the Office of Community Development a chance to sort
it out correctly, it means if you do nothing until the advisory becomes
permanent then most likely you will need to demolish and start new because
for a one-story slab house the cost to repair is going to exceed 50% of the
market value of the house prior to the storm and it's not cost effective to
raise a slab house.

With regards to those who are demolishing and starting new and want to know
how high to build, build as high as you can afford whether you are on a
coastline worried about a hurricane, in an earthquake zone worried about a
tsunami, or sitting in a valley near a dam that could break at anytime. 

This probably has raised more questions than it answered, but we need to
understand FEMA talk.

Deborah Keller