FEMA Flood Maps

I recently helped to successfully resolve a dispute between Park Mesa Heights homeowners and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). As a result the homeowners in the area, which is part of the Hyde Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, will not be required to purchase costly flood insurance. 

The Park Mesa Heights area had recently been designated by FEMA as a flood plain for the very first time, but this designation was questionable because the area had never flooded. In addition, FEMA’s maps were a departure from the original maps issued in the 1980s, which showed that the area was not prone to flooding. The implication of the new flood maps meant that homeowners with a federal mortgage would be forced to buy costly flood insurance.

As Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, which has jurisdiction over the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by FEMA, I began communications with FEMA in order to understand why the area had been designated as a flood plain and to request FEMA reconsider its decision, which they did. I joined FEMA at a town hall on January 30th to share the good news with residents in person, after having previously sent them a letter, and to answer any questions that they may have.

Below is information on how Hyde Park/Park Mesa Heights homeowners with a federally-related mortgage loan can obtain a refund for flood insurance.  Affected homeowners live in an area roughly shaped like a half-circle bounded by Hyde Park Boulevard to the south, 5th Avenue to the west, West Slauson Avenue to the north and Arlington Avenue to the east.  Please see the map below.