Flood Plain Information Open House Thursday at City Hall

Print

Published on March 7 2023 3:13 pm
Last Updated on March 7 2023 3:15 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

A reminder of a Flood Plain Information Open House for communities in Effingham County this Thursday, March 9, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. CT at Effingham City Hall in the Council chambers.

The open house will give residents a chance to review preliminary versions of the recently completed Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report and its accompanying preliminary Flood Insurance Rate and Maps(FIRMs). The FIS and the FIRMs provide base, also known as the 1%-annual-chance event information, designate areas that are subject to significant flood hazards within the county and offer information that public officials may use to guide development in the floodplain.

Experts at the open house will help residents understand flood risk and flood insurance, floodplain development regulations and the mapping process. Residents can meet with experts one-on-one to view their own addresses on the new maps. They’ll learn about their specific risk and ways to help prevent flood loss. Once effective, the maps will be used as the basis for flood insurance ratings as well as local flood protection regulations adopted under the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA encourages public officials to use the maps to assist planning processes and prepare communities to quickly respond to and recover from future events. Property owners, realtors, lenders, and insurance agents are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about flood risk and hazard mitigation within their community. Digital files of the Preliminary FIRM and FIS report can be downloaded. Last minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible to fulfill.