FEMA Didn’t See the Panhandle Storm Surge Coming

Many houses washed away by Hurricane Michael weren't in the official FEMA flood zone

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Ground zero for last month’s killer Hurricane Michael was the Panhandle Florida town of Mexico Beach, near Panama City. Hundreds of dwellings along the shore there were swept off their foundations by the hurricane’s powerful storm surge. Now, an analysis of the storm surge has found that the killer wave’s flooding was much deeper than the flood risk assessed by FEMA in its official flood zone maps for the area. Guided by the mapping, many of the property owners whose buildings were destroyed did not carry flood insurance, and will not be compensated for their losses.

“The maps were built for a maximum of 10 feet of storm surge,” reported the Panama City News Herald. “Instead, there was 19 feet.” (See: “FEMA floodmaps failed to predict Mexico Beach flooding,” by James Bruggers | InsideClimate News).

“Before Hurricane Michael struck, FEMA maps showed more than 200 homes in Mexico Beach were in a zone considered to have minimal flood risk,” the paper reported. “About 80% of those homes were either destroyed or severely damaged by Michael’s storm surge.”

“’An individual storm, particularly a major storm like Hurricane Michael, may cause flooding in areas beyond the high-hazard areas’ identified on FEMA flood maps, FEMA said in a written response.”

The massive wave and wind damage has left the town reeling and facing years of reconstruction, notes local station WBF 25 West Palm Beach (see: “Mexico Beach recovery from Hurricane Michael enormous task”). “Residents predict it will take years to rebuild the tiny town, and some said they hope it will be able to recover its small-town charm,” the station reported.

About the Author

Ted Cushman

Contributing editor Ted Cushman reports on the construction industry from Hartland, Vt.

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