FEMA releases St. Tammany flood maps

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 21, 2008

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released the proposed new flood maps for St. Tammany Parish. Insurers use the maps to set rates under the National Flood Insurance Program. Copies of a highly detailed map covering the seven Slidell City Council districts also are available for public view in the city's Department of Engineering and will be posted on the city Web site, www.slidell.la.us. Similar citywide maps for Slidell and all other areas of St. Tammany Parish are also available online at www.lamappingproject.com.

Federal, state, parish and municipal officials will be available from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday for a FEMA-sponsored open house at Pitcher Junior High School gymnasium, 415 S. Jefferson Ave., Covington.

New or updated flood maps available at the open house cover the eight municipalities of the parish - although Sun does not participate in the NFIP - and the unincorporated areas.

The maps, which have been two years in the making, will replace the advisory base flood elevations and existing maps and are subject to change as a result of the public input, review and appeals process.

The process is expected to take about a year to complete before the new maps can be finalized. Once the maps become final, the community must adopt them to participate or continue its participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA administers the program.

Some of the existing maps date back as far as 1984, especially those for the highland areas of northern St. Tammany, and are the ones still in use for rate-setting purposes.

Slidell City Engineer Donna O'Dell said the new zones have been added to the city's geographic information system and a list of addresses is being compiled of areas that aren't in a flood zone in the existing maps but fall into a one in the new maps.

"These people will need to be notified to purchase flood insurance before the new maps go into effect," she said. "Otherwise, their rates will be significantly higher." That advice was echoed by David Heigel, a FEMA natural hazards program specialist who led a workshop this past Monday with local and parish officials to discuss the new maps.

Specialists will be on hand at the June 25 open house to answer citizens' questions and to provide additional information about the flood-mapping process, the impact of new maps, and the benefits and requirements of flood insurance.

The maps will be available in both digital and paper formats, and at least 10 computers will be available for individuals to call up specific locations.

The flood insurance rate maps delineate flood-risk zones and serve as an integral part of the NFIP. The preliminary maps were developed as part of the nationwide map modernization effort headed by FEMA.

The new maps will help residents and business owners understand their current flood risk and make more informed decisions about protecting their property," FEMA said in a release. "Community planners, local officials, engineers, builders and others will have the tools to make important determinations about where and how new structures and developments should be built to maximize safety."

Earlier this week, Slidell's zoning commission voted 5-0 in favor of a proposal that would allow commercial and residential buildings to be up to 75 feet high along major highways in the city - 30 feet higher than the buildings are now - in part because of FEMA's new base flood elevations.