Homeowners crowded Burlington City Hall during a public flood insurance information seminar June 10, each armed with an old flood map and questions regarding their specific situation.

In key speaker Jeff Woodward’s line of work as a Federal Emergency Management Agency insurance specialist, he often meets one-on-one with concerned individuals — this meeting was no different.

“Flood levels are going to go up,” Burlington Public Works Director Chal Martin said as he introduced Woodward Tuesday. “And when they do they will affect people differently.”

Flood insurance is a required investment for homebuyers purchasing under a federally-backed mortgage. For residents who already own their homes, Woodward said there can be some gray areas.

The most important piece of information homeowners have, Woodward said, is knowing what zone they are currently in and whether purchasing a policy now would keep premiums lower once the new maps are implemented. He said the determining factor is location.

“That is the reason maps are developed,” Woodward said. “(To determine) the flood insurance rate.”

New flood maps are still in the creation stages, said Ryan Ike, risk analysis chief of the FEMA branch in Bothel. Based on input from Skagit County, FEMA is updating their hydrology software in order to generate a new map. Ike said once these maps are created they will go to FEMA for approval, at which point counties will be notified when they can expect their maps to be inducted.

The map Skagit County currently uses was implemented in 1985. They are broken into four zones, A, V, B and C. A zones are high-risk areas most susceptible to a 100-year flood. V zones are high-risk zones typically on the coast. B zones are those areas susceptible to 500-year floods and C zones are low-hazard areas.

New maps will follow a modified key featuring zones A, X and shaded X. A zones will continue to be the high-risk areas with the potential of a 100-year flood. Shaded X zones will replace B zones and X zones will replace low-risk C zones. The V zone from previous maps will be left out.

Woodward said homeowners should consider purchasing flood insurance if they are living in an area adjacent to existing A or V zones because those areas are most susceptible to change. Should a homeowner who is currently paying B or C zone rates discover their home is located in an A zone once the new maps arrive, they will be able to continue paying the lower rates.

Woodward said homeowners who do not have insurance and fall victim to a flood would most likely be forced to use loans to rebuild and repair. He said the monthly interest these loans could accumulate alone could add up to the cost of a monthly insurance rate. FEMA could offer up to $28,000 in aid. However, Woodward said, the average pay out is $4,000, enough to cover two to three months of rental assistance.

“We don’t replace everything,” he said. “It’s really a Band-Aid to help give you a safe place to stay and start the process of recovery.”

An insured homeowner can collect $250,000 in the wake of a flood. This does not include an additional amount given for the cost of replacing home furnishings.

Houses built before 1985 are eligible for subsidized pre-flood-insurance-rate-map (pre-FIRM) rates. These rates are subsidized to account for houses built before Skagit County adopted The National Flood Insurance Program. However, Woodward said, in some cases it is possible for homeowners living at least a foot above the base-flood level to save money using post-FIRM rates, provided they have an elevation certificate.

Elevation certificates are certified assessments of the bottom level of a structure. Though this document has a price, Woodward said it can be an asset for saving on premiums.

Woodward said if a homeowner already has flood insurance, that rate can be passed on to a new owner should the house be sold. This advantage would once again apply only to those currently living in a B or C zone.

There are a few things individuals building a home should also consider. Woodward said building a home just a foot above base-flood level can save a homeowner $400 annually. Building two feet above can mean $600 in annual savings.

Crawl space construction can also affect insurance rates. Under FEMA guidelines, crawl spaces are to be no deeper than 2 feet from the lowest grade in the house. The space should be no taller than 4 feet. Noncompliance with these guidelines, Woodward said, can mean increased rates for what is considered a basement rather than a crawl space.

For homeowners who may not know where they stand, Woodward recommends contacting their local building department for more information.