KNOW YOUR RISKS TO REDUCE YOUR RISKS!
Neil Creek, Jackson County, Oregon State and FEMA, Region X will host a public meeting on the new preliminary floodplain map. This will help communities take action to reduce risk from flooding.
Region X of The Federal Emergency Management Agency, working collaboratively with states and local communities, is remapping floodplains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. This multi-year project is comprehensive and collaborative and will allow local communities to determine their own priorities and make informed decisions on steps to reduce risk.
Neil Creek’s new preliminary floodplain map is the focus of a public meeting on Monday, Sept. 14th beginning at 6 PM at the Medford Library at 205 South Central Avenue.
This public meeting is residents’ best opportunity to understand how they and the entire community are impacted. FEMA will bring subject matter experts to work one-on-one with residents to help explain the new maps.
FEMA works closely with local communities throughout the process and values their “real world” knowledge of local conditions and problems. The Neil Creek floodplain is being remapped because local communities, the state and FEMA determined that the existing map no longer reflects actual risk. Survey crews on foot and in boats examined miles of rivers and coastlines, followed by newer and more sophisticated modeling augmented by the latest science on hydrology and hydraulics.
The shared goal of this effort is resilient communities that return to normal as quickly as possible after a disaster. While the remapping effort is of particular interest to those who live in or near a “Special Flood Hazard Area”, where the risks and the cost of flood insurance are highest, a broader community-wide engagement is crucial. Flooding in a single neighborhood often has a community-wide economic impact on business, recreation, housing, mass transit and power and water systems. When homes are destroyed, residents may move away from their community and businesses may not be able to survive a long term shut-down.
New maps provide a far more accurate assessment of at-risk areas. It does often change who is in or out of a floodplain (where insurance may be required). But the most important feature is identifying risks.
Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program will require that the community adopt the new flood risk data into appropriate flood protection regulations by the time the new map goes into effect.
FEMA’s new floodplain mapping program is called Risk MAP (Mapping, Assessment and Planning) and more information about the program is here: http://www.fema.gov/risk-mapping-assessment-and-planning-risk-map
Contact:
Mike Mattson 541-774-6937
Tracie Nickel 541-774-6951
Links for more specific details:
https://jcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=43912c0034754eaa8b8c39cf086bd0aa