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FEMA flood regulations cause unexpected problems

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    Adam Housley reports from Los Angeles

  • Duration 2:39
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A legal nightmare is FEMA is -- drying their flood maps the goal is to avoid the sort of devastation that was caused by Hurricane Katrina.

But it's already creating a lot of trouble for families -- are trying to rebuild their homes after the disasters.

-- -- live on this -- -- in Los Angeles morning Adam.

Good morning -- the -- is happening all across the country -- does use these new regulations for three draw communities as flood hazard areas and it's not just in the south -- places you might think of flooding.

-- in places like Sacramento California right in the middle of the of this sac Joaquin delta.

And we met one family that is homeless due to these new regulations.

Happy think when Brad and Jennifer Taylor but -- Sacramento home back in 1998.

It seemed like a good investment and a great place to raise a family.

FEMA and the corps of engineers had -- Certified the levees as a hundred year flood protection.

So.

We thought that it was a safe bet it was a nice neighborhood to move into.

But that all changed last August when the -- came home to find their house in golden flames.

Thankfully no one was hurt but the home was destroyed.

The first thing we felt was really -- -- here so.

That's all stuff can the only place we and insurance but yeah.

-- is immediately start looking to rebuild but soon found that team out without them knowing had reevaluated -- neighborhoods maps they -- area previously deemed safe.

Was now flood zone were homes couldn't be built -- they were raised twenty feet into the air something the city would allow.

And their insurance wouldn't cover.

I conceding and I'm -- belt and I can even see them not wanting to and have people significantly increase the value of their home you know that's and -- a dangerous area.

But not be able to fix your home to the condition that it was prior to a fire.

Vowing to rebuild the family took the complaint a local politician.

Everyone who owns -- in -- Thomas is affected by this.

That some families are disproportionately affected.

When their home is destroyed -- they need to make repairs and they're not able to do so it's been about six months.

And has cellphone handsets and rail.

There's just one neighborhood in Sacramento there are number of them that are below levees in -- you go to see there about four or five major neighborhoods like this now congresswoman Doris Matsui here in California.

Has introduced legislation that would allow for exemptions in cases like this it's currently moving through California's legislature but as you can see -- It's these new -- drawn maps that are causing so many people who had homes there for years.

Really -- I have to have no chance to rebuild.

Boy that's awful situation Adam thank you very much -- the --

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