Brownwood's New Floodplain Maps

Anybody living in the pink sector is now considered at risk for a flood and if you don't own your house out-right, listen up.

"If you have a federally insured loan, you're required by law to have flood insurance," says Hatcher.

Some residents are surprised by the new map.

"This is the first that I've heard of it," says homeowner Michael Ervin. "To infect people's bottom line dollar like that, that's the thing that grab's me first, is the lack of notification and then of course the additional cost."

If insurance is purchased before the new map becomes effective late this year, rates are low.

But if you wait, the price dramatically increases.

"If they wait for two years after the effective day of the map, then the rate could be eight times for a residential structure," says Hatcher.

With the wonderful weather we've been having lately, it may seem really unlikely that a flood occurs anytime soon but all it would take would be 3.3 inches in 30 minutes or 9 inches in a 24-hour period to possible destroy many homes.

"The only time that you really see a rise in water here is when you get dramatic amount of rainfalls over experienced amount of time and anybody who's been here for any amount of time knows that doesn't happen." Explains Ervin.

It definitely is not the norm but Brownwood did see some flooding in 1990 through 1992.

"There's no immediate threat to me and my family. None that I see from the time that we've been here. But then again, I guess flood insurance is one of those things you don't really think about or think you need until it happens," says Ervin.

For Mr. Ervin it's something he's previously experienced.

"I had my house burn down in 1980 as a little kid and you don't realize how much you have to lose until something like that happens," he explains.

It's not a chance he's willing to take.

"You don't really want to wait for something like that to happen to have coverage on it."