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44 <br /> 1991, by adopting the Orange County Flood Damage <br /> Prevention Ordinance. The Ordinance has been amended <br /> periodically to maintain consistency with requirements of <br /> the NFIP. <br /> On June 21, 1995, a representative of the North Carolina <br /> Division of Emergency Management met with Planning and <br /> Inspections Staff for a NFIP Community Assistance Visit. <br /> Community Assistance Visits are conducted periodically <br /> with each participating community. The purpose of the <br /> meetings is to provide technical assistance to the <br /> community and to provide an opportunity to assess the <br /> effectiveness of the community's floodplain ordinance and <br /> its management practices. Orange County's zoning, <br /> subdivision, and other regulations exceed requirements of <br /> the NFIP in that development within floodplains is not <br /> allowed, even if the structure is elevated or floodproofed <br /> in accordance with NFIP requirements. <br /> The Planning Staff was, however, provided with a model <br /> ordinance for use by local jurisdictions, which includes <br /> some changes since the last update to the Flood Damage <br /> Prevention Ordinance in 1991. The text of the model <br /> ordinance is for the most part the same as that found in <br /> the Orange County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, <br /> although the County ordinance is organized and numbered <br /> differently. <br /> The substantive changes in the FEMA model ordinance <br /> include the following: <br /> 1) several new definitions; <br /> 2) revision of several definitions related to the <br /> expansion, renovation and improvement of existing <br /> structures or facilities to establish a limit above <br /> which such changes must meet current requirements; and <br /> 3) revision of various technical requirements relating to <br /> elevating and/or flood-proofing existing or new <br /> structures located within the floodplain. <br /> 4) revision of plot plan requirements. <br /> The Planning Staff recommends that the existing Flood <br /> Damage Prevention Ordinance be replaced with the new model <br /> ordinance in order to assure consistency in content and <br /> format with the National Flood Insurance Program technical <br /> requirements. <br /> Since the Zoning Ordinance now applies to all of Orange <br /> County's planning jurisdiction, the requirements of the <br /> NFIP could be included in the Zoning Ordinance rather than <br /> in a freestanding Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. <br />