Wednesday, October 7, 2015

New Wake County Digital Flood Maps Available for Review

Raleigh
Oct 7, 2015

Residents and business leaders in Wake County will have two opportunities – Oct. 8 and 15 – 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 at the following locations on the specified dates:

  • Thursday, Oct. 8 between 6 and 8 p.m. at the Wake Forest Town Hall located at 301 S. Brooks Street in Wake Forest; and
  • Thursday, Oct. 15 between 6 and 8 p.m. at the Bond Park Community Center located at 801 High House Road in Cary.

Residents can access the flood hazard data online at http://fris.nc.gov/fris/ . Digital flood hazard data also can be viewed by calling the Wake County Environmental Services Department at 919-856-7541 or the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP) at 919-825-2341.

The October public meetings 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 layer and determine their level of flood risk. Representatives from the NCFMP will also be available to answer questions about the flood hazard 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 maps 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 data for all 100 counties and associated communities. The latest flood map updates are based on recent studies and local input.

For more information on an individual property’s flood risk, visit http://fris.nc.gov/fris/ .

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