FEMA RELEASES FINALIZED FLOOD MAPS FOR NEW ORLEANS
Updated flood maps will result in lower flood insurance for many residents
NEW ORLEANS – Today,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released final Flood Insurance Rate Maps for New Orleans that remove many properties from Special
Flood Hazard Areas.
“The release of the finalized
Flood Insurance Rate Maps for New Orleans ensures that required flood elevations are correctly mapped for our residents for the first time in years,” Mayor
Mitch Landrieu said. “The City fought hard to guarantee the accuracy of these
Flood Maps so that the actual risk was appropriately calculated. As a result of
significant improvements in drainage and
flood protection, flood insurance will be more affordable for
many area residents. This success would not be possible without strong
partnerships with FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our congressional
delegation and the local community.”
The final Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map
indicates areas that have been changed from a Special Flood Hazard Area, “A
zones,” to a non-hazard areas, “X zones,” due to the reconstruction of the hurricane risk reduction system and significant drainage improvements following Hurricane Katrina.
The cost of flood insurance in
Special Flood Hazard Areas is cheaper than in areas with a higher statistical risk
of flooding. Any changes to homeowners and business owners’ insurance payments
would be made through their insurance companies.
After the City receives the Letter
of Final Determination from FEMA, the City
has six months to formally adopt the maps. The
City plans to adopt the final flood maps during
the summer, in advance of this legal deadline, in order to save builders and renovators in insurance and
construction costs. City Council is expected to vote in June or July on ordinances
governing new construction as it relates to the final flood maps.
In November 2015, FEMA ruled in
favor of the City’s appeal of the 2014 Revised Preliminary Digital Flood
Insurance Rate Maps, which incorrectly placed Algiers Point area within a flood
hazard area and had not taken into account significant improvements completed by the City and Sewerage and Water Board since the revised maps were developed. The revision to the flood map helped make flood insurance more
affordable for area residents. The City
appealed the 2009 Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps in 2013 indicating
that the Base Flood Elevations that FEMA’s data established did not match actual ground
elevation in the City and did not account for the presence of elevated railroad
tracks in Venetian Isles.
The City’s Department of Safety
and Permits is evaluating adjustment of the City’s building code requirements for elevation to ensure maximum protection for people and property. The City's building
code currently requires structures to be built at least 18 inches above grade, which may not
be the base flood elevation required by the new flood maps. If changes are made to the requirement, it would only affect new
construction or substantial improvements to
existing buildings.
To see the final flood map, click here.
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