NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Living by water has its perks, but it can also be costly.
This week, roughly 1,000 property owners in Nashville will learn they need to buy flood insurance if they don't already have it. According to FEMA, anyone in a high-risk flood area with a mortgage from any regulated or insured lender has to be covered.
Metro is adopting a new flood map on Feb. 25, and many properties that weren't marked in 2017 at high risk for flooding now will be.
"If my creek and the stormwater department have taught me anything while I've been in office, it's water goes where water wants to go," said council member Kathleen Murphy.
Murphy is the Metro Council Member for District 24. She represents residents near Richland Creek. Several will be getting letters this week that their home or land is now considered at high risk for flooding. She encourages people to reach out if they need help with the new expense: flood insurance.
"And so, unfortunately, some homes will find themselves in these floodplains that were not previously categorized that way, but there's a whole host of resources that the federal government and even state and local governments can provide and hopefully help mitigate any new costs that come with the new classifications," Murphy said.
Another district with several added properties is Metro Council Member Antoinette Lee's District 33. She said to avoid paying more, people should start shopping for flood insurance now.
"If you didn't have it once the 25 hits, flood insurance will probably go up a little bit. So you want to make sure you get it before the 25," Lee said.
Lee and Murphy agree that the map also highlights where Metro Council should think twice before approving development.
"Anything that happens up-creek really affects down-creek, so that's one of my concerns: how much development happens along the waterway," Murphy said.
The updates to Nashville's flood map were made by Metro Water Services, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.
