Coos County flood maps won’t be new, but they soon should be more accurate once the Federal Emergency Management Administration finalizes its map revision project for the county. That could save area property owners money on their insurance.

“The studies haven’t changed,” said Stephen Lucker, the map modernization coordinator with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. “There’s just better data.”

The more detailed data in part will change the flood plain boundaries around Pony Creek, which flows through Coos Bay and North Bend, and in areas next to the Pacific Ocean.

No new studies went into this revision. The state just used new technology to make the old maps more accurate, Lucker said. Coos County is one of 20 counties with maps going through revision over the next four or five years.

Federally regulated lending institutions and insurance agents will use the new digital maps in determining who must purchase flood insurance and at what cost.

The mapping shows areas that would be inundated by the base flood or 100-year flood.

That “100-year flood” concept can be misleading. It’s not a flood that is predicted to occur every 100 years, but a flood that has a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, Lucker said. Such a flood could even happen several times in a short period of time. That also means a building within a special flood hazard area has a 26 percent chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30-year mortgage.

Farmers Insurance agent Ron Smith said the revised data could make a significant difference in an area included in the 100-year flood plain. He suspects, with more accurate elevation levels, many places formerly mapped in flood zones no longer will be included.

“This could help a lot of people,” he said.

Removing a property from a flood zone will decrease the cost of insurance. Smith said insuring a  $125,000 house against floods that is well above of the flood zone costs about $125 annually. Insurance on a $100,000 home 4 feet above the zone could cost up to $600 to $700.

“The lower the house, the higher the rate,” he said.

City and county officials will use the maps for flood plain management and permitting purposes. The revision was a partnership between FEMA and West Consultants Inc., according to a press release. Revised maps will be finalized in about six months, Lucker said. The new maps should be easier to read and have aerial photos of areas to help people find their properties.

“It really is a significant improvement, through there isn’t much change,” Lucker said.

(Staff Writer Jolene Guzman covers Coquille, Myrtle Point and veterans issues for The World. She can be reached by calling 269-1222, ext. 235; or by e-mailing to jguzman@theworldlink.com.)