TAMPA, Fla. — Marilyn Mendez Arnett lives in an area of Tampa currently considered a ‘non-flood zone’ by FEMA, but that could change as the federal agency reports flood maps are under assessment for potential updates.

Mendez Arnett says she had to evacuate her Zone X-marked home months ago during Hurricane Milton, and is cautioning those that may seek flood insurance.

What You Need To Know

  • FEMA is reevaluating flood zones, potentially affecting insurance requirements

  • Marilyn Mendez Arnett says she struggled with inadequate flood insurance after Hurricane Milton

  • Flood insurance typically requires a 30-day waiting period for new policies

Just a few months before the last storm season, she also lost her husband.

Before he passed, Mendez Arnett says the couple had just renovated their home.

They also took out another mortgage, which required flood insurance.

It wasn’t until after Milton that she learned her insurance was inadequate.

“When I went to use it, they said, ‘You don’t have content coverage’,” Mendez Arnett said. “I said, ‘what do you mean, why would we have flood insurance and not protect our contents?’”

After more than 40 years of living in the home and raising her family, she lost everything.

Mendez Arnett is now on the market for a new flood insurance policy and wants other homeowners in Zone X to be informed.

“Well, they’re going to have to [get insurance] if they want to stay here because obviously we’re flooded,” she said.

Hillsborough County and Tampa have teamed up with Black & Veatch to perform an extensive flood study after the 2024 hurricanes, concentrating on stormwater management and flood protection strategies.

“People that are not in a flood zone are very sensitive to being added to a flood zone because of the property values,” said Black & Veatch Consultant Mike Phelps. “If you’re not in a flood zone and you flood, you probably don’t have flood insurance. I think the best thing that we could hope for is accurate flood maps, so it’s fairly predictive if you flood. So you could be prepared.”

Despite being on disability, Mendez Arnett says it is an expense she’s willing to take on. 

“It’s going to raise my mortgage,” said Arnett. “This is my home. This is what I shared with my husband. And this was his. And this is all I have left.”

Flood insurance typically requires a 30-day waiting period for new policies.

Therefore, the window is quickly closing before storm season begins on June 1, 2025.