ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Western North Carolina homeowners are pushing back on climate risk labels they argue don’t match reality.<\/p>\n
News 13 Investigates talked with several homeowners who have raised concerns and the company behind the data to explore the broader impacts on property owners and home sales.<\/p>\n
FOR SALE – LITTLE INTEREST<\/strong><\/p>\n John and Laura Haldane have done their share of wandering across the globe.<\/p>\n \u201cAt our core, people are the same everywhere \u2014 we all love music, family, hugs, and dancing,\u201d explained John, standing in front of a map of the globe with pins marking the couple\u2019s travels.<\/p>\n The currents have always carried them back to the mountains.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been such a special place in our hearts,\u201d said John.<\/p>\n Recently, those winds shifted.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m dragging my heels,\u201d said John.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want the house to sell, but it was hard,\u201d explained Laura. \u201cNibbles before it actually went on the market, and then almost nothing since,\u201d said Laura.<\/p>\n A call to their realtor unraveled why they haven\u2019t seen much traffic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe buyers’ agent said the buyers were concerned about the high flood risk, and we were shocked,\u201d said Laura.<\/p>\n HOMEOWNER BATTLES INSURANCE, FEMA FOR HELENE REPAIRS AS LANDSLIDE RISK GROWS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Confused, they checked their listing on popular real estate websites.<\/p>\n CLIMATE RISK RATINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in very large print. We are a 10 out of 10 extreme risk for flooding,\u201d said John about what they found.<\/p>\n It’s a hard rating to swallow since during Hurricane Helene, rainfall maps showed that between 13 and 15 inches fell at their home over three days, and the property never flooded.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought this was so obviously incorrect. It should be easy just to point out why it\u2019s incorrect and get the information changed,\u201d said Laura.<\/p>\n It has been anything but easy, and Brian Cagle, Allen Tate\/Beverly-Hanks’ regional vice president, said the Haldanes aren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe pulled some numbers in Waynesville, and we have 20 properties that are not in a flood zone, did not flood, and have very high ratings, so I don\u2019t know why,\u201d said Cagle.<\/p>\n IMPACT ON WNC MOUNTAINS<\/strong><\/p>\n The rating comes from First Street Technology. Its climate risk ratings started in September on websites including Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin, among others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re appreciative of their work and their efforts and their concern for climate change, that\u2019s all great, but it has to be right. The data has to be accurate,\u201d said Cagle, who has since reached out to the NC Realtors Board, which was looking into the matter.<\/p>\n In addition to the Haldanes, the LeGwins in Asheville, the Schrecks in Hendersonville, and the DeMerrits in Pisgah Forest reached out to News 13 when their 10 of 10 flood rating also ran buyers off.<\/p>\n HUNDREDS OF HOMEOWNERS APPLY FOR PROPERTY BUYOUT PROGRAM AFTER HELENE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n We reached out to First Street Technology with their concerns. The company pointed us to their YouTube page, which explains their flood modeling. It uses physics versus statistics to predict heavier rainfalls now and 30 years from now.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually simulating rainfall on this earth, how that rainfall moves across the surface, collects into streams and rivers, and moves downhill, basically,\u201d said Dr. Ed Kearns, chief science officer for First Street Technology, in the YouTube video<\/strong><\/a> on flood modeling.<\/p>\n Coupled with data from FEMA, NASA, USGS and the Army Corps of Engineers, the model generates a score, not just for a region, but for specific homes, according to First Street\u2019s video.<\/p>\n The above graphic and image from the News 13 drone show why the Haldanes’ question whether the data is accurate.<\/p>\n When checking neighboring properties above and below the Haldanes’ lot, five were rated one out of 10, and two received nines for flood factors.<\/p>\n \u201cWater flows downhill, so there\u2019s no way that we can have polar opposite flood risks,\u201d said Laura.<\/p>\n GOVERNOR STEIN LAUNCHES $800M+ AID PROGRAM FOR WNC HOMEOWNERS IMPACTED BY HELENE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n All four of the homeowners who reached out to News 13 had minimal flood risk in North Carolina’s Flood Risk Information System. First Street’s YouTube video also explained why the models differ.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, that doesn\u2019t tell the whole story because flood zones don\u2019t capture heavy rainfall, and those FEMA flood zones are not capturing climate change,\u201d said Dr. Kearns.<\/p>\n CAN YOU DISPUTE IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n First Street’s dispute webpage <\/a><\/strong>says: “As a rule, we do not update factor scores based on individual requests or disputes.\u201d<\/p>\n However, in an email, a spokesperson told News 13 they would review the addresses I shared, plus any FEMA letters of map amendments, elevation certificates, base flood elevation documents, and proof of new construction or updates not in public record that homeowners submitted.<\/p>\n The LeGwins sent both Zillow and First Street some of that data, but Zillow confirmed First Street\u2019s assessment in a letter and said the climate risk feature will remain. The Haldanes got a similar response.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir policy is not to make changes,\u201d said Laura of the email they received back from their complaint to First Street.<\/p>\n ANGER AND FRUSTRATION MOUNT AS NC RESIDENTS BATTLE INSURANCE FALLOUT POST-HURRICANE HELENE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n News 13 reached out to a local environmental scientist and geologist familiar with area flooding. After consulting debris flow maps, he didn\u2019t understand the varying scores around the Haldanes’ property.<\/p>\n The LeGwins’ property is mapped at risk for a debris flow, but the Schrecks’ Hendersonville property is out of the floodway. That is why the Land of the Sky Association of Realtors is encouraging home buyers not to just look at these scores.<\/p>\n \u201cI would remind folks it\u2019s a projection and that there are other modeling programs out there, so as with anything else, check multiple sources, visit the property and develop your own conclusions,\u201d said realtor Rachel Brown.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Even First Street admits a property ranked 10 of 10 for extreme flooding may never flood, which home sellers say is frustrating.<\/p>\n News 13 is aware that several homeowners have filed complaints about First Street’s data with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. They have reached out to First Street on the homeowners\u2019 behalf.<\/p>\n News 13 also found nationwide complaints with the Better Business Bureau about First Street\u2019s Data, with the responses that they don\u2019t address individual concerns.<\/p>\n First Street has yet to get back to News 13 about the addresses we provided.<\/p>\n DISPUTE PROCESS:<\/strong><\/p>\n According to First Street Technology, “anyone can submit a dispute” at this link<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n First Street told News 13 the following:<\/p>\n “We want to assure you that every submission is reviewed to ensure data accuracy. In the rare instance that data is found to be incorrect or if appropriate supporting documentation is provided, we take prompt action to issue a response. If not, our system directs users to the following resources to help them better understand their score.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A link to First Street’s help center can be found here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n According to First Street, “We have spent nearly a decade advancing research in climate and flood risk modeling. Our science team is composed of highly respected experts in the field. We are committed to transparency, and our methodologies undergo rigorous peer review. These methodologies are publicly accessible for evaluation on both our methodologies page<\/a><\/strong> and our dedicated flood page.<\/a><\/strong>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASHEVILLE, N.C. 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