Council Members to Plan Joint Town Halls on Floodplain Dilemma

Sandy Springs City Council members want to delay their decision to designate certain areas as high-risk flood zones until after they hold town hall meetings with residents.

“Tibby [DeJulio] and I both have quite a number of newly added homes to this area,” said Council member Karen McEnerny. “I want to make sure that we get the feedback from the community of what they want.”

On Tuesday, during their second public discussion on the subject, Mayor Eva Galambos and Council members had many questions and comments for Bennett White, chief engineer in Community Development and flood administrator.

After looking at Sandy Springs flood studies by Manhard Consulting, which identified 100-year flood zones, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has suggested additional areas to be included on flood maps. Two hundred homes would be added to FEMA’s map, bringing the total number of homes in a flood hazard area to 320.

The city can request FEMA not change the zones. White will ask FEMA to give the City until Oct. 1 to make its decision. 

“If it was my own home, I would want that map to cover me,” said Council member Dianne Fries. “Yes, I may have a decrease in the value of my home…What would be more tragic to me was if I did not have that insurance because I didn’t want to have a decrease in the value of my home or an expenditure of $1,000 a year for flood insurance.”

If a house were in the flood zone, the homeowner would have to obtain flood insurance. However, if their lot touches the flood zone but not the home, flood insurance would not be required.

Mortgage lenders do not always have the complete information, said White. “What is common…they will default to whether or not the lot is touched by the flood zone,” he said. “And then that request to purchase flood insurance or the requirement will go to the person that holds the mortgage.”

Real Estate experts have told Patch that home values can drop significantly if they are identified as being in a 100-year flood plain.

Council members plan to hold two joint town hall meetings by the end of September and will ask FEMA to participate bringing the preliminary maps.