Public invited to comment on Broward County preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Public invited to comment on Broward County preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Broward County and FEMA to gather public input during comment and appeal period                

 Submitted by Mary Olsen

     ATLANTA, GA — After months of collaboration and the regular sharing of information resulting in preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), officials with the incorporated and unincorporated municipalities in Broward County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are asking the public to participate in a comment and appeal period.

     Flood maps show the extent to which areas are at risk for flooding by the 1-percent-annual-chance-flood, also known as the base flood, and are used to help determine flood insurance and building requirements. Property owners-home-owners and business owners-renters, realtors, mortgage lenders, and insurance agents in Broward County are encouraged to view the preliminary maps. Those with comments or who would like to file an appeal have until Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 to do so. 

     An appeal is a formal objection to proposed base flood elevations or flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundaries and zones, or flood-ways. Appeals must be based on technical data that show proposed maps to be scientifically or technically incorrect. Anyone who makes an appeal must include the method, data and analysis used to support the claim. A comment is an objection to a base map feature change or any other non-appealable change such as correcting the spelling of a street name.

     Residents may view the preliminary maps online at Broward County’s website, visit their local community’s office to view the maps in person, or call their local floodplain administrator with questions about where their property is located on the preliminary maps. Comments and appeals should be sent to a local official, usually a floodplain administrator or building official, who will send them to FEMA. Please contact your municipality to find out who should receive the comments and appeals.

     Once all comments and appeals are resolved, FEMA will notify Broward County of the effective date of the final maps that will be used for local regulatory and insurance rating purposes.

     FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.