An open house is being held March 14 to provide information on the preliminary FEMA floodplain maps. Residents will have a chance to review preliminary versions of the recently completed Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports and their accompanying preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
This event is scheduled to take place from 5-7 p.m. March 14 at Blandford Lecture Hall in the Humanities Building at Owensboro Community and Technical College.
The FIS and the FIRMs provide base flood (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 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. The newly prepared preliminary floodplain maps from the Division of Water in the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet can also be reviewed at the meeting.
Once the maps become effective, they will be used as the basis for flood insurance ratings as well as local flood protection regulations adopted under the National Flood Insurance Program.
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 from fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata.
