HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRAFT Puna Flood Study - Frequently Asked Questions on a Draft Flood StudyDRAFT
Puna Flood
Study
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON A DRAFT FLOOD STUDY
1. Flood Study began in 2006.
The Puna District does not currently have Federal Emergency Management Agency
Maps are available online at (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS). The draft Puna Flood Study (Study)
htW:4Wood.hawaiicoun .ao investigates the severity of riverine related flood hazards in the northern Puna
1 District. The Study is a detailed hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the Puna area
watersheds, resulting in new reliable FIRMs for the Puna District. The Study's flood
Or, at the County Public hazard/risk information will be used to establish actual flood insurance rates and
Works office in Hilo at 101 assist the community in its effort to promote sound floodplain management.
Pauahi Street, Suite 7.
2. What areas are affected?
The draft Puna Flood Study is The study area is approximately 282 square miles and includes subdivisions in Mountain
not available on DLNR or View, Kurtistown, Kea'au, Hawaiian Acres, Orchidland, Hawaiian Paradise Park and
FEMA's websites. Fern Forest. The area indexed by Tax Map Key: 1-6, 7, 8 and 9 has had active storm
events and substantial property damages in recent years.
Contact: Frank DeMarco, 3. What is a floodplain and how do I see a map?
County of Hawaii NFIP FEMA defines a "Floodplain" as any land area susceptible to flood water inundation from
Coordinator, at (808) 961- any source. Floodplains shown on FEMA's FIRMS are called Special Flood Hazard Areas
8042 or email: (SFHAs), which are 1 -percent chance Floodplains. The FIRMS determine the flood
hazard/risk to your home or business. The areas outside the SFHAs posing a moderate to
fdemarco@co.hawaii.hi.us low flood risk are labeled on FIRMs as Zone "X." SFHAs posing a high flood risk are
Labeled on the FIRMS as Zone "A," "AE," "AO" or "AH." SFHAs along the coastal areas
posing a high flood risk due to waves are designated on the FIRMs as Zone "VE." The
Study does not include analyses of coastal area flood hazard/risk.
The Study and the Study's 35 FIRMS are available on the County's website, and at the
Department of Public Works' (DPW) Offices in Hilo at 101 Pauahi Street Ste 7. Office
hours are weekdays, excluding holidays 7:45 AM -4:30 PM.
4. How will the new FIRMS affect me under National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP)?
DPW administers Hawaii County Code (HCC) Chapter 27 Floodplain Management
regulations whose purpose is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare,
2.6.15
2.6.15
and minimize public and private losses due to flooding conditions, within SFHAs
determine from FIRMS and/or best available flood hazard data. In July 2014 and within
the Study's SFHAs (refer to item 2 above), the County began enforcing Floodplain
Management regulatory standards for new structures and existing structures that are
substantially improved and/or damaged. Mandatory flood insurance for federally
regulated or back mortgages wilt not be required until FEMA publishes and makes
effective the Study's FIRMS.
5. When do Physical Map Revisions (PMRs) become
effective?
During a November 2014 meeting, FEMA and the County agreed to postpone submitting
the Study to FEMA until July 2015. Once submitted, FEMA will process the Study as a
PMR, which involves publishing 35 new FIRMs for the study area, refer to item 2 above.
For mandatory flood insurance purposes, the Study's FIRMs should become effective in
the fall of 2016.
6. My structure is incorrectly mapped, how do I correct
this?
After the Study's FIRMs are published and made effective by FEMA and you disagree
with the mapping of your structure, you may apply for a FEMA Letter of Map Change
(LOMC). FEMA's LOMC application process includes, in part, the following: Letter of
Determination Review; a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA); electronic LOMA or
eLOMA; Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill, whichever is applicable. Information on
the LOMC application process is available at FEMA's webpages:
https://www.fema.gov/national flood insurance program flood -hazard apping/letter-
map-change, or
https://www.fema.pov/ media-library/assets/documents/7362.
If you have any questions regarding the proposed flood changes, please contact the
Floodplain manger Frank DeMarco (808-961-8042) or Carter Romero (808-961-8943)
with the DPW, Engineering Division.
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