This is my page to go over my most recent information on flooding in and around Tequesta. First, THIS LINK is to the Village of Tequesta Flood Information Page.
It late 2024 it was announced that FEMA would finally be adopting the new FIRMS first proposed pre-COVID. These will be effective in Dec 2024.
In September 2021 the NFIP went to “Risk Rating 2.0” which I did an extensive post about so in short strokes each policy will now be rated on an individual risk basis upon some new factors. The FIRM maps will ONLY dictate as to if your lender will require you to carry flood insurance. The whole Base Flood Elevation (BFE), finished floor elevation and free board type of calculations will no longer be used. Your agent MAY still use a flood elevation certificate completed by a surveyor. I recommend everyone get one so as to ensure your rating is accurate. Use this link to look up how your property will be rated in the new system. FEMA did this pdf for some broad strokes on the changes in Florida
If you are reading this it’s probably because the flood zone (FIRM) maps are proposed to be changed. You may want to click on this link to find your PROPOSED NEW FLOOD ZONE . These maps are ow used by mortgage companies to determine if flood insurance is a requirement of your loan. And they are used by local planners. Most notably to determine if you must raise the elevation of your house when rebuilding after say a hurricane or doing a major renovation, or building a new house.
Next, you have your address and parcel id number so use those at the FEMA Map site to locate your property and print out a FIRMette (small version of this map) showing it. Are you in an area that shows ANY shading or coloring? If not then you are in an area labeled Zone X (note this is NOT Shaded Zone X) Area of Minimal Flood Hazard. Basically is there’s no shading on the map you are not in a flood zone. If yes then you are in some degree of a flood zone. The next shaded area is a Shaded Zone X. This is the old Zone C, and then we get into the Special Flood Hazard Areas or SFHA. (SFHA’s are show on the map as Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, VO, V1-30, VE, and V.) Take note of this zone (say AE) and if shown what the (Elev. = X Feet). This X feet elevation is the Base Flood Elevation or BFE and is by the 1988 NGVD datum. Is the elevation of your finished floor of your house higher than the BFE? If not then you will be required to have flood insurance by your lender. If you are in the shaded Zone X then this is the old B Zone and and while you are not required to have flood insurance by your lender, I would. And, I would pay attention to any changes in the flood maps as you may be in the next “expansion”.
Along the beach we see Zone A*. Note that Zone A* is a high flood risk due to surface (rain) water where Zone V* is high flood risk due to surface water AND “additional hazards associated with storm-induced waves”. BIG Waves but this does NOT yet include storm surge predictions. There are maps for storm surge predictions and next we will look at these.
Storm surge is what I worry about. They say, hide from wind but RUN from water and this is why the county evacuation zones are based in large part upon storm surge predictions. Go the THIS NOAA PAGE to see the storm surge inundation maps for the various Cat 1 to 5 storms and zoom in on our area. These are developed based upon the Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model. Note that these models in the contiguous U.S. have been updated to NAVD88 as a datum BUT show the estimated height of water above the ground. Look at this map. Is your property in an area susceptible to storm surge? If yes then READ THIS ARTICLE on correlating the height of the estimated storm surge for a given storm to the elevation of your property. In Jupiter for Hurricane Dorian they were predicting a 2-4′ storm surge.
Remember that storm surge is the water ABOVE the normal tide caused by a storm. In Northern Palm Beach County the normal high tide is about +0.5 feet NGVD 88 and the so called ‘king’ high tide is about +2.5′ NGVD 88. So, if you live in an area that is prone to storm surge, AND the storm is schedule to hit at high tide, AND it happens to be the time of the year the king tides occur, then you should be worried if the forecast surge is greater than 7′ (the Finished Floor Elevation of your house) – 2.5′ = 4.5′.
Final thoughts on Tequesta are that it has a little bit of everything. Jupiter Island should worry about surge and wave action, those east of US-1 and along the river AND quite a ways inland from the river area should worry about storm surge AND surface flooding. BUT some of the highest natural land around is between dixie and us-1 in Tequesta. This is why the first true evacuation zone, zone B is everyone east of Country Club Drive. If you live in Tequesta, pay attention.
REGARDLESS of the maps, if you live on the water or in an area where the maps indicate a flood problem then flood insurance is a cheap safety net.
