FEMA flood zone maps on display for public

Public meetings with officials from the city of Slidell and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are slated this week so city and parish residents can look at new flood zone data that may change their flood insurance rates.

The first meeting was yesterday in Trailer 117 at the City Hall complex on Bayou Lane. There is another meeting today from 1-8 p.m. and a final meeting tomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The newly updated maps are the result of a FEMA project that started in 2002 to remap potential flood zones in the entire country.

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Compliance Deputy Section Chief Michael Hunnicutt said Hurricane Katrina put the remapping project on the fast track.

“Katrina showed us that the data we were using was outmoded and incorrect,” Hunnicutt said.

To update all the data, FEMA is providing Slidell and St. Tammany Parish the opportunity to review the new maps and to make changes and appeal the findings of FEMA.

Hunnicutt said the parish will have 90 days to review the new data, and then it can either accept it or appeal the findings.

“The 60 days is flexible, and under the circumstances we will give the parish more time to review the new data,” Hunnicutt said.

During the meetings, residents can see hard copies of the new maps or call them up on a computer. FEMA officials along with employees with the Slidell Departments of Engineering and Planning will be on hand to explain the findings and answer any questions about flood insurance.

Hunnicutt said the new data could “possibly affect flood insurance rates.

He said residents who live in special flood zones and have flood insurance will not see any change. Residents who find themselves in a newly created flood zone and get flood insurance before the final plans are implemented by FEMA will be able to buy flood insurance at the old rate. However, if a resident’s home is put into a new flood zone and the owner waits to purchase flood insurance, the homeowner could see an increase in the rates.

Hunnicutt said that is why it is important for all residents to get flood insurance now, even if they don’t live in a flood zone. Even if an area is not designated a potential flood zone, there is no guarantee the area will not flood.

He said getting flood insurance will speed up recovery time because of the government’s ability to pay off claims. As an example, he said the National Flood Insurance Program paid off 95 percent of its claims within six weeks after Katrina, totaling $4 billion.

It will still take about a year before the finalized flood maps are presented to the public. After the public input and the appeals process is finished, FEMA will publish the results and send them to all the cities and parishes in the state. Hunnicutt said that so far, Cameron and Lafayette parishes and Morgan City have appealed the new data.

City engineer Donna O’Dell said she doesn’t expect the city to protest any of the new data.

“The city overall has not changed in regard to flood zones,” O’Dell said. “There are some small areas that have changed flood status, and we will publish those addresses as soon as the plan is finalized.”

Hunnicutt said there are some flood-prone areas of the parish that have improved.

“Some parts of Mandeville have actually gotten better,” Hunnicutt said.

The FEMA flood zone maps of Slidell can be seen on line at the Slidell Web site, www.slidell.la.us under the City News section. The maps for all of St. Tammany Parish can be seen on the Web site, www.lamappingproject.com.