E. Dundee homeowners shocked after feds widen Fox River flood zone

When Paula Lauer purchased her home on Wenholz Avenue in East Dundee eight years ago, the two-story frame house just blocks from the Fox River was not in an area considered at risk for flooding.

In fact, Lauer said, the home was about 400 feet outside of the flood zone according to a federal agency's floodplain boundaries in 2002.

But now, updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood zone maps puts Lauer's home, and dozens of other residences in the neighborhood known as the Flats, within a floodplain. The new maps are part of a larger $1 billion FEMA project to digitize a map of the entire nation.

As many as 80 residents now must purchase expensive flood insurance as mandated by mortgage lenders, Lauer said.

Flood insurance could cost homeowners between $1,200 and $1,500 a year with a $5,000 deductible. That does not guarantee coverage if a basement is flooded, Lauer said. The insurance will cover essential equipment in the basement like furnaces and structural elements, but does not cover basement improvements or contents like furniture.

When the Fox River spilled over into the village in August 2007, Lauer said the neighborhood did not flood, but sewage backups caused problems.

"If you pay flood insurance for 10 to 20 years, and the deductible, you will never get you money's worth," Lauer said. "You may as well flush your money down the toilet."

And in these difficult financial times, homeowners may struggle to pay the mortgage and insurance premiums, said Gerard Dziuba, whose home on North Street is also included in the floodplain.

"For many of us, $1,400 is going to mean a decision on what we cut back on," said Dziuba, who writes occasional columns for the Daily Herald. "Some of us are not working full time and some have lost jobs."

Homeowners can dispute that their property is in a floodplain. Residents estimated it would cost about $400 to have a licensed surveyor prepare a certificate of elevation showing the property is at or above the base flood elevation.

Dziuba questioned what significant changes had occurred in the village since 2002 to warrant adjustments to the flood maps.

"I have lived here since 1984 and there haven't been any big new developments," he said. "Prove to us that this is really needed and prove this is really needed now, that this is something we need right away. This is kind of bad timing."

Peter Piet, a Lincoln Avenue resident for 14 years, said village leaders should have notified residents of the changes and helped homeowners complete the surveys needed to amend the designation.

"More than anything there has to be accountability," said Piet, who learned of the changes from Lauer. "Someone must have known that these changes were going to happen. But no one stepped up to alert people that this was going to take effect."

Though the village manager and village engineer did not return calls for comment Wednesday, staff agreed to set up a meeting with FEMA representatives at a date and location to be determined.