Revised flood plain map slated to be released at the end of July

By DAVID CLOUSTON

Salina Journal

Starting at the end of this month, hundreds of Salina property owners whose properties aren't in the floodplain -- and thus not required to buy flood insurance -- will be given a chance to publicly address a revised floodplain map that changes those boundaries.

Many owners whose property was not in the floodplain before could be included in the floodplain under the new map. And scores of property owners who petitioned the federal government to be recognized as being out of the floodplain will be inspecting the new map to make sure their property is automatically revalidated.

The owners of property in the new floodplain will have to offer proof that their structure isn't in the floodplain before they are issued a Letter of Map Amendment, or LOMA, by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, exempting them from being designated as being in the floodplain.

The proof that FEMA requires is typically a study prepared by a licensed surveyor showing the elevation of the property.

Any property owner in the floodplain without a LOMA who has a federally insured mortgage will be sent a letter by their lender telling them they have a specified period to obtain flood insurance. Flood insurance for a $75,000 home and $20,000 worth of contents costs about $900 a year.

The revised floodplain map is scheduled to be released publicly by FEMA on July 31. There is a 90-day period following the release for the city to question or challenge the inclusion of portions of the city in the new floodplain boundary.

"We have to show them we have better engineering data than they (FEMA) do," said Dean Andrew, Salina's director of planning.

What will the city do?

After the new map is released, the city plans to issue press releases concerning the floodplain boundaries. City officials also plan to send written notification to property owners in some areas of the city that are most affected by the new map, Andrew said.

Those areas include the area bordered by Crawford, Ohio and Cloud streets, and on the east by the flood control levee. Other areas included are between Cloud and Wayne streets and between Highland and Ohio streets.

"Right around South Middle (School) and Sacred Heart (Junior-Senior High School)," he said.

"We want to identify those owners and send them individual notices and a copy of the new map," Andrew said.

Andrew said public meetings will be scheduled concerning the new map for property owners to attend and share their concerns with city staff. For those challenging a floodplain designation, the city will try to get engineering data for that particular neighborhood.

The comment period, which ends at the end of October, starts the process for making the new floodplain map effective, said Pam Franke, a FEMA representative in Kansas City, Mo.

n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

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