North Carolina Neuse River Basin Plan Final Scoping Meetings April 23, 24, and 25, 2001

North Carolina Cooperating Technical State Flood Mapping Program Overview

Purposes of the NFIP 1. Make flood insurance available 2. Identify floodplain areas and flood risk zones 3. Provide framework for a community’s floodplain management ordinances

u With up-to-date flood hazard data: l Map users can make prudent siting, design, and flood insurance purchase decisions l Communities can administer sound floodplain management programs Importance of Updated Flood Hazard Information

North Carolina’s Flood Mapping Program u Program established to implement the Cooperating Technical State (CTS) Partnership with FEMA, signed September 15, 2000 u Ownership and responsibility for Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) delegated to State

Organization of the CTS Flood Mapping Program

Why North Carolina Is Undertaking This Project u State’s vulnerability to hurricanes and flooding l 14 federally declared disasters since 1989 l Hurricane Floyd damages = $3.5 billion l 4,117 uninsured/under-insured homes destroyed as result of Hurricane Floyd u Accurate, up-to-date flood hazard information crucial to protect lives and property

Why North Carolina Is Undertaking This Project u Hurricane Floyd revealed flood hazard data and map limitations u Age of North Carolina FIRMS l 55% at least 10 years old l 75% at least 5 years old u FEMA’s mapping budget is finite l North Carolina receives only one updated flood study for one county per year u Many counties and communities lack resources to take on this responsibility

Benefits of North Carolina’s CTS Program u Current, accurate data for sound siting and design decisions u Better floodplain management to reduce long-term flood losses u Updated data to alert at-risk property owners of the need for flood insurance u Faster, less expensive FIRM updates

Program Components u Developing flood hazard studies through community mapping needs analysis (Scoping) u Acquiring high-resolution topographic data and accurate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) u Conducting engineering studies u Generating countywide digital FIRMs (DFIRMs) u Designing and implementing state-of-the-art, dynamic IT infrastructure u Supporting real-time flood forecasting and inundation mapping capability

Digital FIRMs Digital FIRM = Flood Data Base + Topography +

Digital FIRMs u Digital FIRMs will be produced in a countywide format u Will depict all flood hazard data u FIRM panels will be consistent with the State land records 10,000’ by 10,000’ tiling scheme

Community Review and Due Process u Preliminary FIRMs provided when the Neuse River Basin Study is complete u 90-day appeal period u Preliminary Countywide FIRMs provided when adjacent basin studies are complete u All appeals evaluated and resolved u Final Effective FIRMs provided and made available by the State on its Information Management System

Additional Benefits of the CTS Program u Digital format to allow: l More efficient, precise flood risk determinations l Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and planning l Online access 24 hours a day u DEMs will be useful for almost any engineering or planning application

Neuse River Basin u Originates in north central Piedmont region of North Carolina in Person and Orange Counties, extends southeast through the Coastal Plain region, and eventually flows into Pamlico Sound u Third largest river basin in North Carolina, encompassing an area of approximately 6,200 square miles u Encompasses all or parts of 23 counties and 78 municipalities

Scoping Phase for Neuse River Basin The Scoping Phase determines: u What areas are floodprone and need flood hazard data developed u Determine appropriate technical method for developing up-to-date flood hazard data and establish priority level u How flood hazard data will be presented on FIRMs

State FEMA Kickoff Meeting with County/Local Floodplain Administrators Mapping Needs Assessment Effective FIS & FIRM Research Evaluate Post-Floyd Data NC Scoping Database Generate Initial Scoping Package Initial Scoping Meetings Develop Draft Basin Plans Final Scoping Meetings Finalize Basin Plans Process for Scoping Six River Basins in Eastern North Carolina Prepare Delivery Orders & CTC Mapping Activity Agreements & Update CTS Mapping Agreement Analysis and Mapping Step 1 Initial Research and Community Coordination Step 2 Initial Scoping Meeting Step 3 Draft Basin Plans Step 4 Final Scoping Meeting Step 5 Final Basin Plans SCOPINGPRODUCTION Questionnaire

Step 4 — Final Scoping Meeting THIS IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY! u All impacted counties and communities invited u Three separate Final Scoping Meetings: l April 23rd – Raleigh, NC l April 24th – Goldsboro, NC l April 25th – New Bern, NC u Draft Neuse River Basin plan presented u Provides final opportunity for input

Step 5 — Final Basin Plan u Draft Basin Plan may be revised following the Final Scoping Meeting u Watershed Concepts, the State’s Floodplain Mapping Contractor for the Neuse River Basin, will develop proposals for the State u Neuse River Basin Plan will be finalized and notification sent to impacted counties and communities u Production phase will then begin

North Carolina Neuse River Basin Meeting Q UESTIONS ON THE SCOPING PHASE ? ? ? ? ? ?

Draft Neuse River Basin Plan u Summarizes scoping phase u Outlines how base maps and topography will be acquired u Proposes engineering methods by which each flooding source reach will be studied u Describes the process and schedule for completing the map production

Detailed Study — Riverine u This method requires the following: l Digital Elevation Data l Field Surveys u Channel bathymetry u Bridge/culvert opening geometry u Channel and floodplain characteristics l Detailed Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analyses u 10%, 2%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance flood elevations and boundaries identified (Zone AE) u Floodways delineated

Riverine Areas to be Studied in Detail

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Detailed Study — Coastal This method produces the following: l Floodplain mapping for areas along open coast and embayments l Designations as Zones AE or VE

Redelineation u This method requires the following: l Digital Elevation Data l Effective FIS flood elevations Proposed for all areas currently shown on effective FIRM as Zone A1-30/AE or V1-30/VE and not being restudied

Approximate Study u This method requires the following: l Digital Elevation Data l Delineation of 1% annual chance floodplain boundaries using approximate methods l May include collection and use of field- collected topographic data or bridge/culvert data if plans are not readily available Proposed for all areas currently shown on effective FIRM as Zone A and not being restudied in detail.

Use of Effective Information u This method involves no new analyses or floodplain mapping u Effective FIS and FIRM data are digitized and fitted to updated base map This method is not anticipated to be used for any communities in the Neuse River Basin.

Going Beyond the Minimum u Communities are encourgaged to manage floodplain development according to standards that are more stringent than FEMA minimums. u Benefits of adopting higher standards: l Reduced risk to lives and property, and l Lowered flood insurance premiums, including possible Community Rating System discounts.

Community Mapping Options u Community-adopted higher standards can be supported by optional map features shown digitally in a separate GIS layer, or possibly printed on the FIRM, or both. u Communities can have “customized” flood hazard data generated for their area through the NC Flood Mapping Program.

Community Mapping Options (continued) u Customized flood hazard data options: l 1% annual chance floodplains and elevations based on future land use conditions (in addition to existing conditions data), l Wider floodways based on a reduced surcharge value (i.e., less than the 1-foot FEMA maximum), and

Community Mapping Options (continued) u Flood hazard data options: (continued) l Areas within a community-adopted “freeboard contours” (i.e., areas that would be inundated if floodwaters reached the freeboard level)

Guidance for Communities u The State will provide guidance to communties on: l Selecting higher standards options that meet community needs, l Data the communities must provide (land use plan, etc.), l Potential community cost sharing to cover increased mapping costs,

Higher Standards (continued) u State guidance: (continued) l Model Flood Hazard Damage Prevention ordinances that reflect enhanced floodplain management standards, and l Outreach programs for citizens and businesses affected by newly mapped flood hazard areas or updated ordinances.

Schedule for FIRM Production

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North Carolina Neuse River Basin Meeting Q UESTIONS ON THE DRAFT BASIN PLAN ? ? ? ? ? ?

North Carolina Flood Mapping Program For More Information Web Site: FEMA Map Assistance: State POC: Rodger Durham (919)