WAILUKU, Maui — Hundreds of Maui properties will be designated "high risk" on new flood hazard maps being adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The Maui News reported.

The map update will mean that at least some property owners will be required to buy flood insurance and others could see their insurance rates change.

The new maps will be presented at information sessions between 2 and 8 p.m. Monday at the Kihei Community Center. FEMA officials will give short presentations at 3 and 6 p.m. Officials from FEMA, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Maui County will be on hand to answer questions about how the changes affect individual property owners.

Changes to the flood insurance rate maps for Maui County include new flood maps for the Waikapu area, as well as Kamaole and Kaluaihakoko gulches in Kihei. Other properties will be affected throughout the island.

The new maps are scheduled to be adopted Sept. 25.

Owners of "high-risk" properties are required to buy flood insurance if they have a federally backed mortgage on the property.

Properties that are currently designated as low to moderate risk could be allowed to keep a lower insurance premium if they are covered by a flood insurance policy before Sept. 25.

The FEMA flood maps have not changed since 1981 and are being updated with new modeling techniques that provide a more accurate projection of flood zones, said Carolyn Cortez with the Maui County Planning Department. The new maps are able to use more advanced technology, and also take into account new development that might have changed the way water moves across the landscape, she said.

Realtors Association of Maui President Bob Lightbourne said that real estate brokers were checking to see how the new maps would affect listed properties and were spreading the word to old clients to check on the status of their homes.

"Some people who didn't need flood insurance are going to need it now, and it could be a significant jump in some cases," he said.

Even if a property owner isn't required to get flood insurance, they should consider it if the maps show their home is in a high-risk zone, Lightbourne said.

"Nobody wants to spend more money, but it sure would be financially disastrous for you to be flooded and not have insurance," he said.

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