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Dec. 3 Open House for updated Pierce County flood maps
News Release Published: November 24, 2009 by the Central Office
Contact(s): Gary Heinrichs, DNR (608) 266-3093
MADISON – A Dec. 3 open house in Ellsworth allows Pierce County residents to look at preliminary versions of updated flood maps to learn about their risk of flooding, whether they’ll need to buy flood insurance, and the process for appealing changes from existing maps.
The open house starts at 6 p.m. at the Pierce County Highway Building, 621 Cairns St., Ellsworth. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, are sponsoring the open house.
The U.S. Congress mandated and paid for a map modernization effort now underway across the country. DNR has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Association, or FEMA, to modernize floodplain maps in a number of Wisconsin counties.
Fifty-four of the state’s most populous counties will have new Flood Insurance Rate Maps available to them within the next few years to update their floodplain ordinances. Most existing flood risk maps were created in the 1970s and 1980s and need to be updated to reflect changes in the actual floodplain. The effort also capitalizes on advances in technology and more precise topographical information to allow more accurate maps in digital format, which are easier to update and display and can be distributed electronically, says Gary Heinrichs, who administers DNR’s floodplain management program.
The new mapping has resulted in reduced flood risk for some properties and removed other properties from the mapped floodplain entirely. In other cases, the locations of floodplains also have changed or new flood risks have been identified.
Some residents may be required to purchase flood insurance once local communities adopt these maps. Federal banking regulations require the purchase of flood insurance for federally insured or federally backed mortgages of structures in high-risk flood areas. Once effective, these maps will be used to determine flood risk, develop mitigation measures, and encourage wise and responsible risk management decision-making.
The open house for the public is one of three sessions planned that day. A morning workshop geared for community staff who administer the floodplain ordinance will provide an overview of the National Flood Insurance Program, general information about using floodplain maps when administering the ordinance and specific guidance on different floodplain development scenarios.
An afternoon meeting for elected and appointed officials from all Pierce County communities lets them view the preliminary maps, ask questions about map changes and the process to appeal changes and submit updated information.
