On Wednesday, Feb. 8, residents and business leaders in Tyrrell County communities and the Town of Columbia will have an opportunity to review and discuss the latest flood hazard and flood risk data.
Available digitally, preliminary flood hazard information can be layered on top of the county’s parcel data so property owners can better determine potential risks to their land. Residents can see the maps on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m., at the Columbia High School cafeteria located at 902 Main Street in Columbia.
Residents also can access the flood hazard data online at http://fris.nc.gov/fris/. Digital flood hazard data also can be viewed by calling Tyrrell County Building Inspections at 252-796-1581 ext. 2673 or the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) at 919-825-2315. Columbia residents should call the town manager’s office at 252-796-2781.
The Feb. 8 public meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to see the results of the revised studies and new flood hazard areas. County and municipal employees will be on hand to help residents locate particular properties from the flood hazard data and determine their level of flood risk. Representatives from the NCFMP will make a short presentation on the flood study process, how the new digital hazard data can be used to reduce future flood losses, and how the preliminary hazard data may impact flood insurance and floodplain management. Following the presentation, representatives will be available to answer questions about the hazard data update process, flood insurance coverage and floodplain management. Attendees also may see a demonstration of the North Carolina Flood Risk Information System.
The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program was established in 2000 with a mandate to update flood hazard data for all 100 counties. Through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state was charged with creating and maintaining the flood insurance maps for all North Carolina communities. Since 2003, the NCFMP has analyzed, updated and digitized the flood hazard data for all 100 counties and associated communities in North Carolina. This preliminary flood hazard data was developed based on local community requests for new flood hazard risk studies for the updated streams.
Please note that only those portions of the revised streams have been updated. Therefore, some communities in the county will not have new flood hazard data, although adjacent counties may have some updates due to the seamless statewide format for the mapping program.
For more information on an individual property’s flood risk, visit http://fris.nc.gov/fris/.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on the public meeting, contact: Joie Spencer, Tyrrell County building inspector, fire marshal and ordinance enforcement, 252-796-4128; Rhett White, Columbia town manager, 252-796-2781; or Stacey Bobbitt, NCFMP outreach planner, 919-825-2315.