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Hawaii County Council Committee on Public Works and <br /> Intergovernmental Relations-Bill 51 Draft 2 <br /> Dept. of Public Works Council Orientation on Floodplain <br /> The purpose of proposed changes to Chapter 27 is to: <br /> • Comply with the current National Flood Insurance Program regulations. <br /> • Establish drainage improvement standards to control storm water quality <br /> and runoff <br /> • Establish requirements for structures that suffer repetitive losses due to <br /> flooding <br /> • Clarify and restrict substantial improvements. <br /> • Correct inconsistencies found in this chapter. <br /> Our presence before the Public Works and Intergovernmental Committee is to <br /> answer questions and present our comments on Bill 51 Draft 2. Last month we <br /> requested that Bill 51 revert back to Committee for further discussion. <br /> <br /> We will answer questions presented to us from Brenda Ford's office: <br /> • What defines a Flood? <br /> FEMA defines a flood as any land area susceptible to being inundated <br /> by water from any source. <br /> • Who defines a Flood? <br /> Answer: FEMA defines special Flood Hazard areas <br /> • FEMA creates the maps the County of Hawaii uses to regulate <br /> construction in special flood hazard areas. <br /> FEMA determines the flood zones and defines each. Their calculations <br /> are based on a "one percent (1 annual chance of a 100-year flood <br /> occurring." From an insurance standpoint "the 100-year flood has a 25% <br /> (or 1 in 4) chance of occurring over the life of a 30-year mortgage." Their <br /> findings appear on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The results are <br /> the basis for establishing flood insurance rates by insurance companies. <br /> 1 <br /> <br />