Onondaga Lake Shore Flooding in Syracuse

What does the Onondaga Lake floodplain map mean for a property?

The Onondaga Lake map is a separate FEMA floodplain map that the City of Syracuse lists alongside the creek and stream maps. A property within its boundary has its own flood-zone status, which governs the building rules and the insurance questions.

A map shows the area that is at risk from flooding from a given source. The lake map sets the zone for properties that are at risk from the lake, and it is separate from the maps for Onondaga Creek and the other streams in the city. A property can be on one map and off another.

The city's floodplain page is the place to start for the list of maps. The panel number for a property, found on the FEMA flood map service, is the reference the insurer, the floodplain office and the crew will use when they ask about the property's zone.

How does lake water differ from creek or sewer water?

Lake water is usually contaminated with soil, sand and plant debris from the shoreline, and it can stay in the ground for days. Creek water and sewer water have their own contamination profiles, so the crew treats each source for what it carries.

Shoreline water picks up sand and silt that settle on floors and in the bottom of walls. The sand is abrasive and can scratch finishes if it is walked on, so the crew removes it before equipment is run. Plant debris and soil can also introduce bacteria, and the crew treats the surfaces with that in mind.

The ground under a lakeside building can hold water long after the lake has fallen. A slab or a crawl space can feed moisture into the building for days, and the crew reads the ground-contact surfaces at each visit until the readings settle.

What should a lakeside homeowner check before the rebuild?

Check the FEMA panel for the address, the floor level of the lowest room, the entry points on the lake side and the condition of the foundation. Each one decides what can be rebuilt in place and what needs a different approach.

Ask the City of Syracuse which office handles floodplain permits for the address, since the city's page sets out the rules but the sourced material does not name the office for each case. Ask the crew to note the level of the water on the walls, because it is the reference point for the floodplain rules.

Check the materials that were in the lowest room. Those that can be cleaned and dried may stay, and those that cannot should be replaced with materials that tolerate water. The electrical panel, the furnace and the water heater should be inspected before they are returned to service.

• The FEMA panel number and zone for the address
• The water line height on each wall of the lowest room
• The entry points on the lake side of the building
• The condition of the slab, the crawl space and the foundation
• The office that issues floodplain permits for the address

How long does a lakeside drying job take?

A lakeside drying job usually takes longer than a basement job of the same size, because the slab and the ground beneath it can hold moisture. The drying ends when the readings reach a dry level in every measured area.

The crew measures the air, the surfaces and the masonry at each visit, and it moves the equipment to the places where the readings are still high. A slab reading that drops slowly is normal, and the crew continues the drying until the readings settle at a dry level.

The owner receives the readings and the visit log. Keep the log with the photographs and the invoices so that any later question about the drying can be answered from the record.

What should you tell the insurer about lake flooding?

Tell the insurer the time the water was seen, the source, and the entry point, and say that the event came from the lake or from storm-driven water on the shoreline. Standard policies often exclude flood water, so the flood terms decide the claim.

Read the flood terms of the policy before any claim. Most standard homeowner policies exclude flood water unless a separate flood policy or endorsement is held, and the policy's own definitions decide what counts as flood. Ask the insurer to show the wording in writing.

For a complaint about how the claim is being handled, the New York State Department of Financial Services is the state regulator for insurers. Keep the readings, the photographs and the map panel in one file so the insurer and any adjuster can see the same record.