Updates in flood insurance mapping

ELIZABETHTOWN – The Bladen County Board of Commissioners met last Monday and they received important updates on flood ordinance, as well as changes in flood insurance maps. The county has been updating flood ordinance maps over the last few months and representatives from the state’s department of emergency management held a presentation for updated flood insurance maps. The state representatives notified the board of changes in mapping that highlight high risk flood areas that could be a concern for future development due to high insurance rates. The NC Flood Rift Information System or FRIS is a database used by developers and insurance companies alike that can be a tool to guide through the areas that are vulnerable to future property damage.

The map uses color coding to help forecast potential hotspots and the system also has predicted flood starting points. Most of Bladen County that is considered at-risk areas for flooding is unoccupied land according to FRIS. Chairman Charles Patterson informed the state representatives that most of the unoccupied land is “rich farmland.”

FEMA requires updated maps of Counties could be at risk of being kicked out of the national flood program. Development in these areas aren’t off-limits but the flood insurance will come with high cost. Flood insurance is mandatory by FEMA if development sits on a federally backed mortgage but the slate allows the county to have an opportunity to appeal through a 90-day period. A flood administrator must survey the land before future development can occur to make sure the environment is sustainable in case of a high flood disaster.

The state representatives reminded the board throughout their presentation that insurance rates are continuing to spike upward and policies under $500 dollars are becoming a rarity in this economic landscape. FRIS has forecasted for 100-year and 500-year flood events, with areas susceptible to 500-year flood events being low in Bladen County at 2 percent but these events have admittedly been unpredictable in the same breath and developers should be mindful despite the low probability.

The definition of flooding by most insurance policies is that flooding must be sourced and rising water from ground level, meaning stormwater entering infrastructure through collapsed roofs are not covered by flood insurance. Chairman Patterson voiced his opinion of the maps during the presentation and described it as a disservice to the county by saying, “The government needs to subsidize insurance or make it so people can afford it.”

FRIS has revised streams in the system and Hammonds Creek has also been updated into the recent database. Clarkton Mayor Jerome Myers also spoke to the board of commissioners on his township’s needs. He says that Clarkton’s Dixie Youth Baseball Park needs renovations and he asks the board for county assistance in funding bleachers and lights. The new bleachers would cost around $28,000 and the park also needs new lights. Myers hopes renovations can be done before the park hosts the State Dixie Youth Tournament in July. The town of Clarkton has $10,000 at their disposal and they would like the County to pitch in an additional $15,000.

Myers thanked the board for helping with reviving Clarkton’s Memorial Day Parade and helping with making the affair a success. “I aim to grow Clarkton and I think we started that on the 27th of May by having a Parade that hasn’t been done in 25 years.”