New FEMA flood maps set to take effect June 10 will place additional Peterborough properties at risk of flooding, with some owners potentially required to carry flood insurance for the first time.
The Select Board has not yet adopted the new maps but is expected to consider doing so.
Most properties affected by the update will see either a new flood risk or an increased one, according to Danica Miller, Peterborough’s director of planning and building and the town’s floodplain administrator. A small number saw their risk decrease as updated modeling showed flood levels would not rise as previously projected.
Miller said the town mailed postcards to every property owner with a new or increased risk. A presentation held April 30 drew a “strong turnout” and included residents from neighboring communities who are also affected by the changes.
Two primary designations carry the most consequences for property owners, according to Miller.
The 500-year floodplain carries no regulatory requirements — no added building codes or zoning rules apply — though Miller said property owners should still be aware of the elevated risk compared to those outside any floodplain.
“As the town’s floodplain administrator, I would still tell someone who has property in a 500-year, you should be aware of the risk,” she said. “You do have an increased risk as opposed to someone who’s not at all in a floodplain.”
The 100-year floodplain comes with more requirements and regulations, because property owners in those areas can reasonably expect a flood event once in the span of a 30-year mortgage.
New construction or substantial renovations, defined as work exceeding 50% of a structure’s assessed value, must meet flood-proofing standards, which can include flood vent openings and elevated mechanicals and utilities.
“It can be done,” Miller said. “We have plenty of properties in Peterborough that are already in 100-year floodplains that we’ve worked with in the past, but because there’s an increased process related to building code, we want to make sure that those property owners are well aware and prepared
and not caught off guard.”
Property owners with a mortgage on residential or commercial property in a 100-year floodplain or the more restrictive regulatory floodway are required to carry flood insurance. Miller said the exact mechanism for notifying newly affected property owners happens “behind the scenes,” but said mortgage companies will likely alert borrowers.
Peterborough residents required to carry flood insurance do have one built-in advantage: the town is one of only five in New Hampshire participating in FEMA’s Community Rating System, a program that earns local property owners a 10% discount on flood insurance premiums.
“It’s nice that we are continuing that program,” Miller said. “Especially, seeing that it appears to be very likely that there might be more property owners who now might need to have flood insurance.”
The existing and proposed maps can be found on the town’s website.
