Hurricane Evacuation Zones & Local Flood Zone Projections
- Adam Garrett
- Aug 5, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 3, 2024
Many properties in the Hampton Roads area & some other parts of SE VA are in hurricane evacuation zones even if their home is not currently in an AE flood zone requiring flood insurance if using a mortgage. Any property that is in a hurricane evacuation zone but doesn't currently require flood insurance is more likely to in the future than a similar home that's not in a hurricane evacuation zone. If the property is in an X-500 flood zone and in a zone A hurricane evacuation zone, that's especially true. I own a property like that, and it's the top reason why I want to sell the property sooner rather than later in order to not have the reduced selling power present if it turns into an AE zone before I sell.
Hurricane Evacuation Zones in SE VA
Prior to purchasing a property, a commonly skipped element of the home search process is checking the hurricane evacuation zone of the property.
To do so, go here. As you can see below, it's a significant issue in SE VA:
The map is color-coded, with red being the worst, zone A ,& blue (Zone D) being the least bad of the named zones, while no color at all means that it's not in a hurricane evacuation zone, and the best.
Flood Zone Projections
One of the top reasons why these projections matter is when you are considering the projections by First Street for the increasing # of homes in AE flood zones in the area. In some cities/counties, the numbers are supposed to more than double between 2020 & 2050.
Search Based on Hurricane Evacuation Zones
Searches can even be made (though it can be a painstaking and slow process if you want to be accurate) to avoid these zones, as I have done for my clients. in certain cities/counties in REIN MLS.
Chart of Rising Water in Local James River & Projections
Many are still in denial about rising waters, but we're seeing it happen over the decades measurably. Here's a chart from Sewells Point in the James River over 60 years and where they are projecting that things will proceed further by 2100:
Image courtesy NOAA
In case you're wondering about the years prior to 1960, here's a chart going back to 1930 from Sewell's Point:
Related:
Comments