The city applied to FEMA in 1994 to have parts of the city taken off the FEMA's flood plain maps -- 10 years after work had begun on the Carroll Creek flood control project, according to city records.

In May, his private lender notified him that because his home was in a flood plain on the previous map, he would be required to buy flood insurance. And the premium came to a whopping $2,244 a year.