Under water: How FEMA’s outdated flood maps incentivize property owners to take risks

When Camp Mystic wanted to build in Central Texas areas considered high risk on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance maps, it did what many property owners do: It hired engineers to take a closer look. FEMA’s flood maps are often outdated and can be inexact, particularly in areas where the agency hasn’t performed detailed studies. This left an opening for Camp Mystic to generate a more precise analysis of the terrain and to ask FEMA to change how its flood zones were designated.