Quote by Tony Elders
Some Jackson County residents will soon have updated information regarding how inclement weather could affect their property.
Later this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local leaders from the county and its municipalities will meet with the public to discuss newly proposed flood maps that have been drawn up by FEMA.
The maps are a bit overdue.
“Our current maps were adopted in 2010,” said Tony Elders, director of Permitting and Code Enforcement and county flood plain manager. “Initially, FEMA planned to update maps every five years. I toured the county with FEMA and state officials in 2015 and highlighted some problem flooding areas. Due to multiple disasters nationwide, FEMA is at least 10 years behind their own schedule for releasing new maps.”
The maps will be crucial to both residents and local governments regarding city and county planning and most importantly protection of property.
Flood insurance
The maps will not be final until they are adopted by each local government. Adoption is necessary for property owners to be eligible for inclusion in the National Flood Insurance Program.
“Anyone can purchase flood insurance on a structure,” Elders said. “Structures located within the SFHA (Special Flood Hazard Area) have much higher rates. Most lenders require flood insurance to approve a loan on any structure in the SFHA.”
New maps will impact around 150 properties across the four towns. Some properties will receive SFHA designations for the first time while others will be removed from the flood hazard area. A third group are properties that show the possibility for increased flood elevation.
A lot of analytical effort is involved in creating the flood maps. FEMA contracts with engineering firms who conduct hydraulic models. They then combine that data with ground surveys to create new maps.
“For this cycle, FEMA used N.C. Department of Transportation data from demolition of buildings along N.C. 107 for the upcoming road widening project to more accurately reflect data for Scotts Creek and Cope Creek through Sylva and Dillsboro,” Elders said. “They are also using data from the study completed after the removal of the Dillsboro dam to update these maps.”
Having updated flood maps helps counties and residents in several ways.
“The major benefit outside of the ability to purchase flood insurance is the ability to plan your development to minimize flood risk to your property and others downstream and upstream from any individual location,” he said.
Permitting and code enforcement review all proposed development in the SFHA. They must enforce the flood plain regulations for construction and development. That enforcement could mean completely denying a building permit.
Less drastic actions could include requiring owners or developers to include measures such as flood vents – foundation vents which allow water to pass into and out of an elevated crawl space, elevating structures, or other floodproofing such as landscaping tactics.
Commercial property in flood zones that have slab on grade floors must flood proof walls two feet above base flood elevation.
The maps also limit development along most of Jackson’s streams.
“Many people want to build there but it is just not safe to be there in the event of a large flooding event,” Elders said. “It is dangerous to the residents and to the first responders that are there to evacuate and rescue folks during these events.”
Limited development in SFHA areas additionally helps mitigate the number of impervious surfaces such as driveways, parking lots or other surfaces that prevent the ground from absorbing water.
Such surfaces “increase stormwater runoff and contribute to flooding,” Elders said.
The maps also help with emergency response during major storms and rain events. Emergency Management and first responders can identify high-risk areas and can stage equipment and personnel to meet needs.
Property owners have the right to appeal their property’s inclusion on the maps, but they will need to provide their own survey and engineering data to dispute FEMA’s decision.
“Most choose to take advantage of the flood mitigation efforts described earlier as a more cost-effective alternative to appeal,” Elders said.
The public meeting will be Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Jackson County Department on Aging Heritage Room located at County Services Park.
State officials will be in attendance, and the public and leadership will be allowed to ask questions.
Impacted residents should begin receiving letters from Permitting and Code Enforcement next week notifying them of the meeting.
- Beth Lawrence
Sylva Herald