ORD-2005-127 - Revisions to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

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11. Substantial damage definition refined, 12. Sec. 42 -40 wording added, and 13. Sec. 42 -68 1. i. Additional wording provided. Orange County has developed a series of regulations to prevent building activity in its flood - prone areas, as well as to preserve the environmental attributes. Even though Orange County has been a leader in floodplain management through its work in planning, erosion and sedimentation control, Lands Legacy, and building inspection divisions, the County has not availed itself of federal programs that would financially recognize our efforts through insurance rate rebates and other grant opportunities. Orange County first became a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1975 and entered the regular FEMA -NFIP on March 16,1981 with the adoption of a flood damage prevention ordinance. This is the same effective date for the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (F1RMs). The BOCC last revised the present ordinance in 1995. The County adopted its original soil erosion and sedimentation control standards in 1975 and its Neuse River Basin stormwater regulations in 2001 and stream buffer restrictions in 1994. In short, Orange County has a long, documented history of comprehensive land development regulations focused on our water resources and stream corridors. On June 18, 2004, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program staff scheduled a preliminary map meeting at which time they presented new preliminary FIRM panels and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) Report to the County for the Neuse Basin streams. The new FIRM panels altered the existing floodplains, expanding them in some areas and decreasing them in others. The new elevation reference (NAVD 1983) is about 0.7 feet different from the original reference (NGVD 1929), plus hydrologists used better topographic data. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated the State of North Carolina as a Cooperating Technical State (CTS). The State has assumed primary responsibility for the FEMA NFIP mapping for all North Carolina communities, including Orange County. North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program has prepared new FIRM panels for the Cape Fear and Roanoke Basin streams in Orange County. They are now available from the Planning Department. The County's interest in the proper management of floodplain areas has fostered an interest in the FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS) through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which provides federally flood insurance backing to private property owners. CRS is a voluntary program for local government to encourage, enact, and enforce floodplain regulations and documents, as well as past and present county regulatory history, which could take our efforts to a higher level or compliance and awareness. The CRS recognizes and encourages floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates can be discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance. Benefits that communities can expect from participation in the CRS program may include the following: 1. Reduced privately held flood insurance premiums, 2. Enhanced public safety, 3. Reduction in damage to property and public infrastructure,