Cities still waiting on FEMA

KELLOGG — Another year, another round of waiting as the city of Kellogg works to revise its aging flood maps. 

In 2021, the city submitted a letter of map revision to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the agency reportedly responded to the request with more questions.  

Under the supervision of local engineering firm Alta Science and Engineering, the city resubmitted its request on FEMA’s digital portal in July of 2023.  

The Silver Valley’s Technical Team has followed FEMA’s recommended path for the flood map update, said Kellogg Public Works Superintendent Mike Fitzgerald.

"The team has repeatedly responded to FEMA’s technical questions. In short, it is time for FEMA to provide the community a resolution on the issue," he said.

For decades, homeowners living in Shoshone County along the Interstate 90 corridor along the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River have existed within a FEMA-designated floodplain on its National Flood Hazard Map, which requires them to pay for annual flood insurance. This mandatory insurance for properties with mortgages is expensive and directly tied to the flood maps, which city and county leaders have said are outdated.   

The maps show the possibility of significant flood events on 10, 50, 100, and 500-year intervals. Each interval is measured as a one-in 10/50/100/500 chance that the river would hit various stages of flooding, with 10 being the most common, but also the lowest damage. 

The current maps say that any 100 and 500-year floods would be potentially disastrous to much of the Kellogg, Smelterville and Pinehurst areas, and thus require flood insurance. 

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, the average annual cost of flood insurance in Idaho is $784. If FEMA approves the letter of map revision and removes the areas listed from the National Flood Hazard Map, it could save residents thousands of dollars.  

Representatives from FEMA did not respond to calls regarding the delay.