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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0387.002 1996-1998 ~ o,Mtt OF NI Stephen K. Yamashiro ~ Donna Fay K Kiyosaki Mayer _ _ _ - ~ - Chief Engineer Jiro A. Sumada irr ~ o; ~pyhJ1Chief Enginer+ FUF ~~1 f -1 _ )y L 1 t J ~ ~1 ~aunf~r ~f ~tt£~ttTi ~ ~l cou, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 25 Aupuni Street, Room 202 Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4252 (808) 961-8321 • Fax (806) 961-8630 September 8, 1997 HONORABLE JAMES Y ARAKAKI CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL 25 AUPUNI STREET HILO HAWAII 96720 SUBJECT: FLOOD CONTROL AMENDMENT COMM. NO. 387, BILL 112 Chapter 27, Flood Control; Hawaii County Code We transmit to you a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in support of the subject Bill. Should there be any questions concerning this matter, please feel free to contact Casey Yanagihara in our Engineering Division at Ext. 8327. / 4 - DONN Y K. KIY SA P.E. Chief Engineer CKY attachment Gaooro? Yw ~ • copy: Corporation Counsel w/ attach. Atie lto.~ SEP I u 1997 ~.eP. 1~ - t ~ MAN ~F3 Federal Emergency Management Agency H T, Region IX o * Building 105 Presidio of San Francisco San Francisco, California 94129 September 3, 1997 Donna Fay K. Kiyosaki Chief Engineer Deportment of Public Works Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4252 Dear Ms. Kiyosaki: This is in support of County efforts to adopt an ordinance amendment that will expeditiously address floodway encroachments that result in violations to the Floodplain management ordinance. Section 27-18 of the Hawaii County Ordinance No. 9378 prohibits filling within an identified floodway or in areas of special flood hazards that would result in the blockage or impediment of flow if any increase in base flood elevations occur. The County is responsible for ensuring that all violations of this and other ordinance provisions are remedied in n timely fashion. Failure to adequately address violations could result in sanctions including the suspension of flood insurance eligibility as identified in Section 59.24(b) of Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations. There are also potential hazards that have not been identified by FEMA due to the cost constraints in our mopping budget. Within the County of Hawaii are "unnumbered A zones". These areas are known to be generally subject to flooding from a 100 year storm but the depths and velocities have not been developed under a FEMA detailed study. Other areas may possess hazards that the County is aware of that are not reflected on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. Lock of formal identification of flood hazard areas by FEMA does not absolve a community of its responsibility to regulate known flood hazard areas. The magnitude of damage that could occur as n result of stream encroachment is a concern being addressed in the proposed amendment to the Hawnii County flood control ordinance ' + Y I We strongly support any efforts by the County to assist in its ability to react in a timely way to stream encroachments. Where local information or knowledge of conditions require, particularly for human safety, higher standards that the NFIP minimum criteria, those standards are encouraged and shall take precedence. Please phone Cynthia McKenzie of our office at (415) 923-7190 if you have any questions or require additional assistance. Sincerely, John W. Eldridge Branch Chief Community Mitigation Programs Cc: Casey Yanagihara Engineering Department Sterling Yong Department of Land and Natural Resources