New maps of the flood zone will soon be available, said Chris Belleman, executive director of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority. A project supported by federal, state and local agencies will publish maps designed to inform people about their flooding risk.
However, they won’t affect who pays for Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance or how much they pay, and they also don’t affect who pays the levee fee that maintains the flood protection system.
The maps are intended to be another tool for the public, local officials and emergency planners to use when preparing for flooding. One feature will be the ability to ask the mapping program how the forecast for a high water event might affect one’s property.
“It’s a tool to help coach people to the right decisions and get them out of harm’s way,” Belleman said.
After flooding from Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011, FEMA funded the creation of a new hydrologic model that showed flood risk along a 100-mile stretch of the Susquehanna River. The project updated information in Luzerne County, as well as Columbia, Northumberland, Montour and Snyder counties.
That project will be the basis for the new maps, which should be available on a National Weather Service website by late summer.
One thing the new model showed is that flood risk has increased. The base flood elevation — to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during what is termed a 100-year flood — increased from 0.7 feet to 4 feet in some places.
“We’re seeing more frequent and intense storms, and of course there’s been a lot of development in the watershed,” Belleman said.
The project is expected to cost $349,000. The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority will give $3,200 in funding and a $2,000 in-kind contribution toward the project.
Contact the writer:
bwellock@citizensvoice.com
570-821-2051, @CVBillW
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