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Useful And Essential Facts About House And Building Raising In Worcester MA

By Anna Davis


People who live in flood zones are required by FEMA and insurance companies to have their homes raised to a given level from the ground. Homes that are not raised are usually prone to catastrophic damage whenever a flood event occurs. FEMA has set the standard height to which homes should be raised. When a house is not raised to the required level, insurance costs incurred by the owner are very substantial. Here are facts regarding House and building raising in Worcester MA.

Base flood elevation is the elevation that has been estimated by FEMA in order to mark the flood water levels in a 100 year storm. The base flood elevation and actual elevation area major determinants of the premium that homeowners pay for flooding insurance. One may find out the current base flood elevation from the municipal building department records.

Regions are categorized by the FEMA according to their vulnerability to floods. Zone A is the safest while zone V is the most exposed. V zones experience the worst floods with three foot breaking waves and they are usually waterfront areas. This implies that they experience the strongest floods and waves. Homes in both zones A and V still have to be elevated, only that the elevation level with differ.

There are many different ways of funding the raising of a house. For example, if one has the money, they can fund the project straight from their pocket. Also, US government issues low interest loans to people who need the money to jack their homes up. Applicants who qualify are issued the loans through the US small business administration. The other way of funding the whole process is through FEMA grants.

FEMA gives grants annually to applicants that meet certain criteria. One is to apply for the grant and after passing through scrutiny and qualifying, they are issued with the money. Increased cost of compliance is a coverage that is offered by the national flood nsurance program. The cover only applies to people that reside in areas that require a lot of money in order to comply with FEMA requirement.

One can only qualify for Increased Cost of Compliance coverage, also called ICC if they are insured by the National Flood Insurance. Eligibility for ICC is usually based on the level of damage the property suffered. The property must have suffered over 50 percent damage or more of the market value before the storm. ICC coverage totals up to 30, 000 USD.

When one is raising their house, they are advised to raise it to a level that is higher than the current advisory elevations. This is the advice that is provided by FEMA to members of the public. It is better to do this because FEMA advisory elevations are subject to changes. Exceeding the current advisory elevations covers one against any alterations in future.

It is necessary to always be on the lookout and prepared due to the frequency at which flooding and storms occurs in the US. To elevate the house appropriately is one of the best methods to prepare oneself. The cost that one ends up paying in insurance premium on a house that has not been raised to the required standards exceeds the expensive involved in elevating it.




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