Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
PEABODY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — About 100 Peabody households are looking for answers after getting notified by their mortgage companies that their mortgage bills are going up to pay for flood insurance that was never needed before.
In fact, households across Massachusetts are receiving the same notifications since FEMA's flood maps were redrawn.
The agency said it updated the Charles, Nashua, and Merrimack watersheds over the summer, resulting in hundreds of homes now being located inside flood zones.
Phones started ringing at Peabody's City Hall as soon as the mortgage notices started arriving in mailboxes.
Curt Bellavance, the city's Director of Planning and Community Development, said he's trying to explain to affected residents why, for the first time, they have to pay for flood insurance. "One resident told us they've been living in their house for 65 years, never had any water, now they're in a flood plain and getting a premium from their insurance company," he said.
FEMA's new flood maps have expanded the flood zones mostly in South Peabody. "Obviously, for this one particular area, it was highly impacted, and the residents are upset," Bellavance added.
He said both local officials and FEMA are working together to set up a workshop for residents to better communicate flood risks and insurance requirements.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.