This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Wellesley Affected by Updated Flood Zoning

FEMA has updated the flood zones in Wellesley and neighboring towns. Read more to find out how you may be affected.

On March 20th FEMA released a notice that many towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be receiving updated hazard maps regarding flood zones. Wellesley and many neighboring towns are included on this list. The maps are in preliminary form and are scheduled to be effective June 17, 2012.

The premise of FEMA’s release states that the flood zones have changed so by the new calculations your home may be negatively or positively affected. Obviously if you are near any ponds or rivers you know the inherent risks of living near water. Other direct costs associated, but not often highlighted, are the insurance premiums.

What that means for you:

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • The new calculations may deem your home more, or less at risk than currently calculated.

It affects you more if you have a mortgage on your home.

You may currently carry flood insurance:

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Sometimes this is mandated by your mortgage company, they may no longer require this.
  • The pricing could go down if your zone shows to be less at risk.
  • If your zone is deemed more dangerous the insurance policy pricing may increase.

If you currently do not have flood insurance:

  • Your mortgage company may now require you to purchase this.

It will be interesting to see how many changes are actually made to the maps. While this may not be a front burner issue for many homeowners it is something to think about when protecting or purchasing a home.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?