The Indiana Department of Natural Resources completed the second of two local meetings Tuesday morning to glean feedback for a new flood mapping plan that is being put together in cooperation with The Polis Center of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
The two meetings were hosted at the Greene County Purdue Cooperative Extension Office, near Switz City. Local stakeholders and elected officials were invited to comment at both meetings.
Greene County is situated in the Lower White River Watershed and also the Eel River Watershed.
The White River basin area was heavily impacted by the 2008 flood, but work on the new flood map modernization program actually started in early 2004 when the U.S. Congress authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin the process, according to David Knipe, who serves as DNR's Water Division Engineering Section Manager for the Central Basin.
"The purpose of this initiative was to more accurately identify and map flood risk in a reliable, easy-to-understand, and readily available way," he pointed out.
FEMA is changing from what was known as a Map Mod Program to a new Risk MAP (Mapping, Assessment and Planning) strategy. The strategy allows officials to combine risk assessment tools and flood mitigation planning into one program.
Last July, FEMA announced plans to augment ongoing projects across the country with funding to apply Risk MAP features that would allow the plan to be fine tuned according to local feedback.
In the Indiana Central Basin, $95,000 was allocated for the study.
DNR engineers are developing hydrologic and hydraulic models and floodplain maps, reviewing technical models submitted for permits and floodplain assessments, and evaluating proposed alterations to National Flood Insurance Program studies.
Additionally, DNR is delineating and updating flood hazard areas, including floodway, flood fringe, and floodplain for all the counties in the state.
"We are basically looking below the White River Watershed and looking at those areas where we would like to see new floodplain mapping and area of mitigation interest where we might want to look projects or buy-outs or something to solve flood problems," Knipe said.
He said a list has been compiled that includes flood-prone areas near Worthington, Linton and south of Bloomfield.
"Those are the three big ones, but we are talking about some other issues that might be out there," Knipe stressed.
The Eel River, because it's its own watershed, will be looked at as part of the another study.
"Because of the interaction between the Eel River and White River right at Worthington, you really can't ignore it," he pointed out.
Worthington Town Council President Gregg Roudebush was concerned about the lack of talk he heard at the first meeting concerning the Eel River.
"They are going clear over to Lake Lemon in Monroe County, but they are not even looking at the Eel River, which is the largest influx of water to the river that there is," Roudebush said. "They said all of the area around Worthington, north and out west that flooded during the big flood in 2008, that's White River. It's not White River, it's Eel River.
"I questioned them (DNR) about it and they said they were going to look at it later ... it's like building a house from the ground up, you build your floor and put your carpet in and then say you are going to put the roof on later."
All of this information will be used to update the flood Insurance Studies (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) in a digital format. The new flood maps will allow the state, counties and municipalities to administer a floodplain management program to decrease existing flood damages, mitigate future flood damages, and promote the health, safety, and general welfare in the state.
"It's going to be a couple of years process to get through all of this so we are just starting," Knipe stressed.
Preliminary digital flood hazard maps for Greene County were released by FEMA on Jan. 6.
When final, the maps will show flood risk throughout the county and determine whether property owners, with a federal or federally insured loan, are required to carry flood insurance.
The first new such documents for the county in 32 years came as the result of FEMA, DNR, and the county completing an extensive multi-year study of the area's floodplains.
These flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) identify property as having high, moderate or low flood risk. In addition to affecting property owners, FIRMs allow community planners, engineers, permit officials, builders, and
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