Flood Zones & Maps
Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Essex County
New Flood Zones Effective as of July 16, 2014
Swampscott Flood Maps:
Swampscott Map 1 (25009C0531G) - Includes inland neighborhoods not included on the following three maps.
Swampscott Map 2 (25009C0532G) - Includes coastal neighborhoods along Atlantic Avenue between Atlantic Road and the Marblehead Line.
Swampscott Map 3 (25009C0533G) - Includes coastal neighborhoods from Humphrey Street at the Lynn Line along the coast to Eiseman’s Beach.
Swampscott Map 4 (25009C0534G) - Includes coastal neighborhoods along Puritan Road between Eiseman’s Beach and Atlantic Avenue at Atlantic Road.
* Note: The tool entitled “One-Step Flood Risk Profile” on the official National Flood Insurance Program website is based upon current 1982 flood maps and does not reflect changes proposed in the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
FEMA Revises Schedule for New Flood Insurance Rate Maps
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has updated the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Essex County. Maps are now scheduled to become effective July 16, 2014. The flood maps shown on the FEMA website are the current flood maps, which differ from the flood maps effective July 16, 2014 shown above. The links above are the revised flood maps, which go into effect in July 16, 2014.
Flood Maps are Changing... What You Should Know
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recently completed a study which re-examined Essex County flood zones and has developed preliminary revised detailed, digital flood hazard maps for the Town of Swampscott. The proposed new maps -- also known as Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) -- reflect current flood risks, replacing maps that are over 25 years old. The reason these maps are produced is to provide home owners, mortgage companies, insurance companies and agents and other interested parties information specific to flood risk. Maps can be viewed on-line, see the links below, or at the following municipal offices: Building Department and Public Works.
What Is the Town of Swampscott Doing?
An article is proposed for the Annual May Town Meeting for the Town to officially approve of the new flood maps. If Town meeting approves this article, the Town will remain a member community of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As such, property owners will remain able to obtain flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
How Will These Changes Affect You?
Some parcels in Swampscott may have been mapped into a higher risk zone, known as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), other parcels may have been mapped into a lower risk zone and some parcels could be shown in a flood zone for the first time. The SFHA is the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year(100 Year Flood). The lower risk zone area is the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 0.2% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year(500 Year Flood).
Parcels in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA): If you have a mortgage from a federally-regulated lender and the building(s) on this parcel are within the SFHA, then by federal law, your lender must require you to carry flood insurance when these flood maps become effective. Flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a federally underwritten program provided by nearly 100 insurance companies and written through licensed insurance agents. Contact your insurance agent to learn about lower-cost “grandfathering” options offered by the NFIP for properties being mapped into higher-risk areas for the first time. If you do not have a mortgage, FEMA still recommends that you purchase flood insurance, but you are not obliged to do so. Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not provide coverage for damage due to flooding. For more information on flood insurance, visit the National Flood Insurance Program’s website.
Parcels in Zone X: While flood insurance in these areas is optional, maintaining coverage is recommended by FEMA as the flood risk has only been reduced, not removed. Lower cost flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is available in low- to moderate-risk areas and you may also qualify for the even lower cost Preferred Risk Policy (PRP). Contact your insurance agent to learn more about how to convert to the PRP. For more information, visit the National Flood Insurance Program’s website.
Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)
If you feel there has been an error, you can file a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA).
If you believe that your property has been included in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) in error, then FEMA has established administrative procedures to change the designation for these properties on the effective FIRM. These processes are referred to as the Letter of Map Amendment, or LOMA, process and the Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill, or LOMR-F, process. Through these processes, an individual who owns, rents, or leases property may submit certain mapping and survey information to FEMA and request that FEMA issue a document that officially removes a property and/or structure from the SFHA. In most cases, the applicant will need to hire a Licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Professional Engineer to prepare an Elevation Certificate for the property. Upon receiving a complete application forms package, FEMA will normally complete its review and issue its determination in 4 to 6 weeks.
Guidance information and determination for requirements about filing an LOMA or LOMR-F can be found FEMA's website, or you can call the FEMA Map Assistance Center at 1-877-336-2627.
* Note: You can not attest the new maps until they become active.
Questions?
Persons to Contact:
- Swampscott Department of Public Works (DPW) is available to assist residents one-on-one and provide information at the Office of the Department of Public Works, 22 Monument Avenue, or by calling the office at (781) 596-8860. Hard copies of maps are also available for review at the DPW office.
- Daisy Sweeney, FEMA Insurance Specialist: (617) 832-4788 / Email
- David Mendelsohn, FEMA Region 1: (617) 832-4713 / Email
- Colleen Bailey, CFM, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Flood Hazard Management Program: (617) 626-1446 / Email
- Richard Zingarelli, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Flood Hazard Management Program: (617) 626-1406 / Email