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Attachment 2 8 <br /> PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT <br /> Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director <br /> Current Planning 131 W. Margaret Lane <br /> (919) 245-2575 Suite 201 <br /> (919) 644-3002 (FAX) ORANGE COUNTY P. O. Box 8181 <br /> www.orangecountync.gov NORTH CAROLINA Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> ���e� <br /> ®® a II I ai _ di�j • { '' <br /> July 14, 2017 <br /> RE: Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program — Services offered <br /> by the Orange County Planning Department <br /> YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS LETTER BECAUSE: <br /> 1. Your property is located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) <br /> OR <br /> 2. You are a surveyor, insurance agent, developer, real estate agent, or <br /> banker that does business in Orange County and work with property that <br /> could be encumbered by SFHA <br /> BACKGROUND: Orange County has been a member of the National Flood Insurance <br /> Program (NFIP) since approximately 1976. <br /> In 1968 Congress created the NFIP to help provide a means for property owners to <br /> financially protect themselves from the possible damage of structures resulting from <br /> flood events. The program is intended to supplement typical homeowner insurance <br /> policies, which do not cover damage to structures resulting from a flood. The NFIP <br /> offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business owners if their community <br /> participates, specifically through the adoption and enforcement of regulations designed <br /> to mitigate/reduce flood risk, in the program. <br /> Part of the `regulations' at our disposal are Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) denoting <br /> those areas of the County that are susceptible to flooding. The County utilizes these <br /> maps to verify the anticipated 'elevation' of flood waters during a storm event and works <br /> with property owners to ensure structures are not located in areas where flooding is a <br /> possibility. Through the enforcement of our flood damage prevention regulations, the <br /> County requires incorporation of design standards (i.e. elevation of structures and <br /> utilities, installation of flood vents, prohibition of specific activities, etc.) all in an effort to <br /> reduce the risk of loss during a flood. <br /> Our original FIRM became effective on March 16, 1981, with the latest becoming <br /> effective on February 2, 2007. <br /> 1 <br />