Jerry Morrison, owner of TMI Land Surveying in Freeland, was recently selected as the recipient of the 2015 Washington Realtors Affiliate of the Year.

Morrison aided in correcting flaws in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood mapping update of Island County. He corrected errors which were likely to impact several thousand waterfront parcels in the county. He did so without expectation of compensation or being asked, said Jason Joiner, government affairs director of Whidbey Island Association of Realtors, in a letter of recommendation.

Morrison used his past elevation certificates and surveys on the proposed FEMA maps to identify verifiable errors in the maps. He identified several key areas and then made efforts to outline what steps could be taken to delay the adoption of the map or bring the issue to the industry and the affected homeowners. After meeting with Joiner and coastal engineering firm Coast and Harbor Engineering, Morrison helped develop a database of affected parcels, and later used mail and newspaper ads to raise awareness of the issue. All was done pro-bono.

He later informed a county department head responsible for overseeing the FEMA process of the impacts of the proposed flood map changes during a panel discussion. The county later appealed FEMA’s flood mapping on behalf of property owners and hired Coast and Harbor to complete the mapping audit begun by Morrison. Thanks to Morrison’s efforts, the flawed methodology by FEMA would not be deployed in other counties.