Title
PUBLIC HEARING RELATED TO THE AMENDMENT TO SEDGWICK COUNTY CODE REGARDING FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT AND ADOPTION OF NEW FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS.
Presented by: Kelly Dixon, CFM, Codes and Floodplain Technician, Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Division (MABCD).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt the resolution.
Body
Background:
Sedgwick County has always had areas that were subject to periodic flooding. In 1986, Sedgwick County joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so that the citizens living in flood prone areas of the County would be able to purchase flood insurance to protect their properties from losses due to flooding. This flood insurance was not available from any source other than through the NFIP and for the NFIP insurance to be available, a community must join. Furthermore, as the result of federal legislation, any mortgage that was backed by the Federal Government was mandated to be protected by flood insurance.
Sedgwick County’s membership in the NFIP came with the stipulations that the County regulate development in flood prone areas as they are defined by the Flood Insurance Rate Map. These regulations adopted served to protect human life and health, minimize the expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects, and minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding.
The County's Flood Insurance Rate Maps have been in place since 1986, with only minor revisions being included in 2007 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) digitized maps and in 2012 when the Calfskin Creek and Dry Creek were restudied and several maps were replaced. Since the 2007 revision, FEMA and the State of Kansas have partnered to provide Sedgwick County and all its incorporated cities with a better, more accurate representation of the flood risks. This was aided by the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County’s acquisition of better quality contour information. The results of this effort are the maps that...
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