Schumer Meets With Massapequa Park Residents Fighting High Flood Insurance Rates

Residents of a Massapequa Park street who are trying to keep their heads above water in the face of high flood insurance premiums met with Sen. Charles Schumer in an effort to get a fair deal.

More than a dozen residents of Aster Street suddenly found themselves listed in a high risk flood zone after the Federal Emergency Management Agency changed the map of areas thought to be prone to floods in 2009.

The street was added to the map despite being in the northern section of the village, far away from the coastline.

"It was such an anomaly that this happened," said Margery Weinroth, whose home served as the meeting place for Schumer (D-N.Y.) and her neighbors.

Weinroth said some of her neighbors "are only two or three inches below" the elevation that put them in the high risk zone, but an appeal to the agency did not overturn the decision.

The designation caused flood insurance premiums to skyrocket to thousands of dollars a year. Not everyone has to buy the insurance, but some lenders require it as a condition to a mortgage.

"One of my neighbors said he was using his children's college fund for this," said Weinroth, who's lived on the street for more than 45 years.

Schumer came to Massapequa Park Wednesday to protest the fact that  many residents didn't know about the change of status until they heard from their lenders. Had they known earlier, they would have been eligible to buy preferred risk policies at a lower rate. 

Homeowners who were able to buy the policies were only allowed to pay the lower rates for a year. FEMA has agreed to a two year extension of the rates, but it won't take effect until January.

Schumer called on FEMA to offer homeowners the cheaper rates immediately.

"FEMA has already agreed to extend the PRP option in January and it makes little sense to force residents into long-term policies at higher rates now when a more affordable option will exist just four months from now," he said.

Michael Barry, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, a non profit organization funded by insurance companies to educate the public on industry issues said there are several factors that may have caused  the Aster Street residents to be added into the high risk pool.

Congress asked FEMA to reassess the flood map in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"I think what Katrina showed was that the government was not pricing their product correctly," he said.  The National Flood Insurance Program has been running at a $19 million loss in the years since the hurricane, he said.

The agency may also have taken a look at the flood maps because Kartina caused so much inland flooding, he said.  Recent flood events in areas such as Atlanta and Nashville that had not previously experienced serious problems may have also been a factor.

Aster Street residents have heard from other representatives about the problems including Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Massapequa Park  Mayor James Altadonna.

"All of our elected officials have been great," she said.

Residents hope to meet with FEMA  officials about the problem.